


A Lamb Among the Wolves

by Scarlett_Lamour



Series: Howling for You [3]
Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Alpha Arthur, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Beta John, Beta? I hardly know her!, Blood and Gore, Clothed Sex, F/M, Gangbang, Hey Hey the gangs all here, Multi, Smut, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-05-31 03:17:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19417384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarlett_Lamour/pseuds/Scarlett_Lamour
Summary: Adeline gets to meet the pack.





	1. Chapter 1

"Who the hell are you?" The man snarled and Adeline looked up into the eyes of an angry man, well dressed and well groomed. He raised his pistol to aim at her face, she could see down the barrel. His hand wrapped around the grip was dripping with gaudy rings. One had an ornate ‘D’ on it. Breathing heavy, her eyes darted around at the people staring her down. Not a single welcoming face met her, most had their guns drawn on her. The man who’d dragged her off the horse kept her arms in a tight, painful hold behind her back. He pressed his nose against her neck in an entirely too intimate gesture that made her try and struggle out of her grip, inhaling her scent deep. He gave a small laugh in her ear. One hand started searching her pockets, pulling out the business card the Hunter had given her. 

“Pinkerton Agent, huh? Boss, look.” He handed the card to the well dressed man. His dark eyes examined the card carefully, fingers turning the card over once or twice. They narrowed in anger as he read it, his eyes cutting to Adeline. There was a burning hatred in those eyes that made it hard for her to swallow when it was directed at her. The man holding her reached into her pocket again, pulling out the folded wanted poster and shaking it out so he could look at it. She tried to wrench herself free of his grasp but he held her easily. 

“She’s got a wanted poster for Morgan too.” He called out, showing off the paper. The crowd grew louder, guns pulling out of holsters and a few cocked. The sound of it sent a shiver down her spine. Throwing the wanted poster to the ground the man switched hands, digging through her other pocket, not missing a chance to grope her chest as he checked her for anything else. She struggled against his touch, throwing her head back in an attempt to catch his nose.

“Let me go, you bastard.” Adeline snarled, still struggling against him. His hands tightened painfully around her wrists as he gave her a hard shake. She thought it seemed like he was enjoying her struggle. 

“We kill Hunters.” He whispered in his ear, clearly excited at the idea. She tried not to think of how John had gone limp in her arms and hadn’t stirred when he’d been dragged away from her. 

"I said, who are you? You a Hunter?" The man who’d been called Boss snarled again, every inch of him angry to a point of danger. Her mouth went dry when she tried to answer, her mouth opening and closing with nothing more than a squeak coming out. Arthur was nowhere close, she knew, John was out cold, she was alone and surrounded by people that wanted her dead. 

"I'm not a Hunter!" She screeched at him. "I'm their mate!" The reaction was dead silence, uncomfortable and palpable. After a moment, the Boss started laughing a deep throaty laugh and Adeline's stomach fell out at the sound of it.

"What lies!" He shifted his eyes to the man holding her for a second. "Does she have their scent on her?"

"No, Boss!" He buried his nose against her neck again and inhaled loudly as if making a point. "None at all!" She was covered in John's blood, surely at least she had his scent on her, she thought bitterly. But the Boss shook his head, grinning like he'd won some game she hadn't been aware she'd been playing. Maybe she wasn't a card player but she knew a cheat when she met one. 

"See, how could you be mated to them? A human?" He shook his head and moved about like an actor remembering his blocking. "And you had to pick two of the few mated members of my pack." It seemed like a performance to her. A bad one.

"Why would I lie, then?" She scrambled to argue with someone who clearly had already made up his mind. "Why would I make up such a bad lie?" Her frustration was mounting. The Boss paused, glancing at her with a glimmer of uncertainty. Around him a few people were whispering, maybe in agreement. He seemed to come to the same conclusion, glancing around the crowd. 

"I don't know! Hunters are not particularly clever humans." He tossed a sneer at her. 

"Dutch, you're scaring the poor girl." A calmer voice spoke. The crowd of men parted and an older man, slim and trim, stepped forward. Just the presence of the man had a calming effect on the crowd. Several of the men put away their guns and the man called Dutch lowered his. He glanced at the new man, annoyed. 

“Micah, let her go.” He turned his attention to the man holding her and Micah threw her to the ground. Adeline scrambled to her feet, putting distance between her and him. "She brought John here, begging for help and you think she's a Hunter?" The man gave a disapproving glare to the Dutch before looking to her. "What's your name, girl?" It took a minute for her to gather her wits enough to remember her own name and the older man gave it to her, waiting patiently.

"Adeline." She finally forced out. Swallowing hard, she cleared her throat and tried again. "My name's Adeline.”

“Hosea, she had a Pinkerton card in her pocket and a wanted poster for Arthur.” Micah argued. The way Hosea glared at the man made it clear he didn’t like him. Micah didn't seem to get the hint and kept on arguing his case. “She could be using John to lead them right to us. We don’t even know where Morgan is and John’s in a bad way.” The way he spoke made her stomach curl in disgust. The word bootlicker came to mind. “We can’t trust her.” 

“The Pinkertons!” Her wits returned. “They’re close, you need to move camp!” She remembered, looking out over the faces that seemed slightly less hostile. Dutch and Hosea looked between each other for a minute, their eyes sliding over Adeline.

“It could be a trap, Boss.” Micah said.

“Kind of a clever sort of trap,” Hosea argued. It had the feel of an old argument to it. Adeline’s eyes flitted back and forth between the two men. "for a Hunter." 

“Hosea, at least until John wakes up, shouldn’t we be careful?” Dutch argued. “Keep a close eye on her.” His eyes narrowed onto her. “If he wakes up.” It was a threat, clearly but the idea of John not waking made her eyes look to the ground. God, the very idea gutted her. Rough hands grabbed her wrists, tying rope tight enough to bruise and she struggled against them. 

“Just until John wakes, then. He can explain who this person is.” Micah encouraged Dutch, jerking Adeline forward by her wrists towards a large tree at the center of camp. He threw the other end of the rope around a low branch and tied it off around the trunk. There was enough slack she could sit, if she kept her hands above her head. The indignity of it was enough to make her fall silent and glare at him. Dutch and Hosea were still arguing, walking off to a tent. Micah stood back, appraising her in a greasy sort of way that made her turn her face away from him. He laughed.

“Thought you could pull a fast one on us, huh Pinkerton?” He joked. Nothing would have given her more pleasure than to unload Arthur’s gun into his gut at that moment. Where was Arthur? It was too hard to see past her own anger and anxiety to tell what he was feeling. “When John wakes up, then you’ll see. If he doesn’t wake up though, I guess you’ll still see.” He laughed again like he’d said the funniest joke. Adeline cocked her head back and spat at him. Micah slapped her in a lazy way, grabbing her throat hard enough she couldn’t breathe. He had enough strength in one hand to snap her neck, that was very clear. 

“I don’t take disrespect from anyone, let alone a worthless human like you.” He snarled in her face. She tried to push him off her, her hands bound with little slack for give. Leaning in close, he whispered in her ear. "Wolves don't mate humans." His hand tightened around her throat. She struggled to push him off her, knowing she couldn't. 

“Micah, let her go. Hosea said to leave her alone until we figure this out.” The man who had taken John off the horse called out. Micah glared at the man for a minute, smiling at Adeline like Bobby had smiled at her before trying to burn her alive, then let go and walked off. She took a great gasp of air, feeling her lungs burn at the fresh air, her throat raw. She looked back up at the man who’d called Micah off. He was bigger than she thought from up on Old Boy, a scar light against the dark skin of his cheek.

“How is John?” She asked. He raised a brow at her question and took a long quiet moment to study her. It didn’t feel nearly as disgusting as it had when Micah had done it. 

“He’ll live. Lost a lot of blood.” His eyes trailed to the front of her dress, stained with blood. “But he’ll be fine in a day or two. You really his mate?” 

“Yes, please, can..." She had to cough and clear her throat. "can I see him? Can you let me see him?” She asked, sounding more desperate than she wanted to. The man looked over his shoulder as if he were considering it then looked back, shaking his head slowly. If she understood how the pack worked, he couldn't disobey once an order had been given, even if he wanted to. 

“He’s not awake yet, anyways.” She sat down hard, her hands pulled just above her head by the rope, and leaned against the tree, fighting tears as her adrenaline left, leaving her exhausted and wanted to just dissolve into her worry. She took heavy, slow breaths, trying hard to hold herself together. Everything was going so wrong. The man looked like he wanted to say something but thought better of it, just walking off to leave her there with her head hung low against her chest. He clearly wanted to help her but couldn’t. She didn’t blame him. 

It was growing dark and she was still tied to the tree, her body aching from holding itself tense so long. A cool wind was whipping through the camp and she shivered against it. Her dress had long sleeves but it was still cotton, there was only so much warmth she could get out of it and it'd be winter soon. Around her the camp carried on as if she wasn’t there, she saw a few women give her a long side eye before returning to their work. One woman, maybe a bit younger than her, with dark hair pulled back in a messy bun, looking fit to kill someone when she saw Adeline strung up. Another woman, black hair braided around her head, pulled her away, whispering. She didn't see either of the women again. As the sun set and long shadows spread through the camp she gave a small, mirthless laugh. And she had been worried if they’d like her or not. She should have been worried if they’d kill her. Jury was still out on that one. 

Late into the night and Adeline wasn't about to fall asleep. Pushing against the tree, she stood up to stretch out her back and get off the cold ground. Putting her body weight into it, she tugged at the rope, still looped over the branch above her head. All she succeeded in was hurting her wrists more. Bracing a foot against the tree trunk, she pushed against it, trying to leverage more of her weight onto the rope but it stubbornly held. What would she even do if she managed to work herself free? All she wanted to do was get close to John, Arthur was off somewhere unreachable but John was tantalizingly close even if he was asleep. Behind her, she heard a soft chuckling. She looked over, still trying to slip free of the rope to see Micah sitting at a campfire, oiling his guns. 

"Good luck with that, Pinkerton." He called out, without looking up. Whatever Micah was, he was a good knot tier, she had to give him that. He stayed at that fire, not looking at her but making enough noise to let her know he was still there. She knew if she fell asleep he'd try something, that was clear the way he was leching at her, not even trying to hide it.

It had to be late, into the early hours of morning. Standing up was all that was keeping her awake right then, her head drooping every minute or so and suddenly snapping back awake. Micah was still sitting there, did that demon ever sleep? Footsteps approached, someone heavy. The man who had taken John came back, she should ask him his name. He was clearly uncomfortable with her treatment, maybe he'd help her. Maybe she was desperate enough to bed. He was walking past her, a rifle in his hands. Guard duty, she thought. When he saw her still standing up and fighting off sleep, he turned his course and walked up to her. 

"You're not sleeping?" He was confused. Of course he was, big man like that probably never thought of things from a small woman's point of view. Seemed nice enough though, despite her circumstances. 

"Would you?" She asked back, pointedly looking over her shoulder at Micah, still at the campfire. The man looked past her, his shoulders stiffening in response. Someone else who didn't care for Micah, it seemed. He was the real popular sort, apparently. She could understand why, he came off as a real sweetheart. "What's your name?" She asked, anything to keep her occupied and awake. 

"Charles. If you really are their mate, they're going to kill everyone here when they find out how we're treating you." Maybe he only half believed her when she said she was their mate, or maybe he didn't want to believe her. Either way that was halfway to her side. 

"Can't say I'd really try and stop them, right now." Adeline grumbled, almost ready to just give in and sleep and let what would happen, happen. Her head dropped to her chest again, eyes burning in the sockets. She moved to lean against the tree. "Hell of a welcoming committee." Charles moved to rest his rifle against the far side of the tree, leaning back against the trunk next to her.

"If you want to sleep, I'll keep an eye out." He said, turning to face away from her. Did she trust him? Did she have a choice? She wouldn't make it much longer before she was as vulnerable awake as she was asleep. It was an attempt to offer her some amount of comfort and she took it, too tired to really say no. Crashing to the ground, she slid down along the tree trunk, leaning into the scratchy bark and rested her head against her arms as the rope pulled her hands up. Probably the least comfortable position she'd ever tried to sleep in but it didn't matter, she passed out almost instantly. Her dreams were harried, full of chasing and blood and unrestful. 

When she woke up, startled awake into a jittery, worried mood, the first light of the sun was just starting to peek into camp. The few hours she'd slept hadn't done a thing to drive off her exhaustion. Someone, probably Charles, had thrown a blanket over her shoulders, but dew still gathered on her hair, chilly and draining. He still leaned against the tree where he'd been when she'd fallen asleep. A trustworthy sort, then, she made a note. He must have heard her fighting awake, glancing down at her. As footsteps approached, he picked up his rifle and walked off without a word. She couldn’t care enough who else was coming by to annoy her, she didn't bother to look up. A throat cleared, trying to draw her attention politely. 

"How can I help you?" She responded sullenly and she looked up slowly to see Hosea, holding a coffee in his hand and his arms crossed as he watched her face. She felt on display, tied to the tree, her hands bound tight. 

“I’m sorry for all this, my dear. But your entrance _was_ suspicious, you have to admit.” He crouched beside her. “I can’t disagree keeping you under close watch is a good idea, though I may disagree with the method. You said you were Adeline? I’m-“

"You're Hosea." It was hardly a whisper and she was still out of breath. She lowered her head back against the tree, wishing she could curl up and vanish. “Arthur told me about you.” She said without looking at him, looking instead at the grass beneath her. It took less effort. Hosea shifted uncomfortably next to her. 

“Who are you to Arthur and John?” Hosea asked gently. Both of the men had spoken so fondly of Hosea but at the moment she wasn’t sure exactly what she thought of him. She'd already told them and they hadn't believed her, what did it matter what answer she gave? Would they keep asking until she said what they wanted to hear? She didn't even know what that was. Nothing wanted to come out, her throat was tight. 

“They're my mates.” She finally forced a word out. Hosea stood up.

"Still claiming that?" He clearly hadn’t been expecting her to keep it up. She nodded, pressing her face against her arms. After a second, he crouched closer to her and slipped a hand to her hair, gently pulling her head to the side. Pliant with exhaustion, she let him maneuver her head and lean in close to breathe her scent, closing her eyes to pretend it wasn’t happening. If no one else except John or Arthur ever touched her again it would be too soon. 

“Shit.” He cursed. He didn’t seem the type to curse easily, what was her scent like? Distantly she hoped she smelled nice. The sound of a knife being pulled from its sheath made her flinch away. Was he going to kill her now? What an abrupt end. Instead he jerked her wrists out, slicing through the rope holding them and slipping a hand under her arm to help her stand. “Did no one think to...” he trailed off, angry but not at her. “Micah.” Seemed to be the answer he settled on, growling low in his chest as he pulled Adeline behind him across camp. “I am very sorry, my dear girl. Had we known.” 

“You’re all idiots.” She mumbled under her breath, not entirely in her right mind. Hosea glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, frowning. She stumbled along, not really able to keep up with his pace and he was forced to wrap an arm across her back to keep her on her feet. 

“Yes, I suppose we are.” He pulled her into a large tent with a cot and a few crates being used as a haphazard side table. An old woman, with an air of being listened to hanging around her like a fancy stole, turned her eyes to Adeline. If she hadn't been dead on her feet she would have shrank away from the woman. 

“Is that the supposed Pinkerton, Micah’s been going on about?” She asked, her voice annoyed. A scar curled up her cheek, old and long healed. Adeline’s mind wandered as she wondered where it came from. The woman seemed formidable, who would have dared to attack her? Bet whoever gave her that scar ended up looking worse. “Doesn’t look like much of a Pinkerton to me.” She was so glad every person she met evaluated her and found her wanting as if she were a half empty sack of grain.

“Sorry to disappoint. I will try to look more like a Pinkerton in the future.” She muttered in response. The older woman almost grinned at her, almost. Her face felt fuzzy around the edges and she reached up to rub her nose a little bit, trying to force feeling back into it. 

“She’s their mate.” Hosea said, his words barely contained his rage. The older woman blanched, looking to John on the cot still passed out and back to Adeline. She watched as the old woman grew visibly angry, her hands clenched into fists. 

“Micah said he scented her...” The woman said, her jaw tensed. “Arthur’s going to kill him.” She gave a sharp nod, reaching out to Adeline, her face softening as she looked at the girl. Hosea handed her off to the older woman.

“Good, kill Micah.” She slurred, tired enough to just sit down right there. “Are you Grimshaw?” She had to blink a few times, her eyes a little blurry. Was she crying? She couldn’t tell, wiping at her eyes a few times to find wetness beneath them. When did she start crying? Was she still crying? Miss Grimshaw gently took her arm, guiding her to sit on the cot beside John. It hardly seemed like a cot that could fit both John and Arthur at the same time, did they not share a tent in camp? John was pale, but breathing easily on the cot. A bandage wrapped around his injured shoulder. Her eyes rested on him, drinking him in like she'd been dying of thirst.

“Yes. Did they talk about me?” She didn’t sound like she believed that. Adeline nodded limply, looking back to the old woman. "What did they say?" Miss Grimshaw's hands worked at the buttons at her throat and she raised a hand to stop her, pushing the hand away from her clothes.

“Said I could trust you.” Her words came out soft and quiet, bleary eyes looking into Miss Grimshaw's. The old woman's shoulders sagged and she gave Adeline a sad sort of smile. It was dangerously close to pity. She knew if she wasn't so damn tired she'd be mad about it. At the moment though, she felt like maybe she needed a little pity.

"Alright, I just want to check your shoulders, okay?" She said as she carefully moved Adeline's hands to her lap. Her eyes looked over at Hosea for a moment then back to Miss Grimshaw.

"Hosea, would you please give us a minute." Miss Grimshaw commanded. It was clearly not a question. Hosea seemed to realize what the problem was all of a sudden and ducked his head in agreement, stepping outside of the tent. "I swear, sometimes men can be the most dense." She muttered, her fingers returning to the buttons of Adeline's dress. 

"They do seem like such idiots." Adeline agreed. Miss Grimshaw's mouth tugged up into a smile on one side. She unbuttoned the first few buttons, down to the bust line before pulling the fabric to one side. Her eyes slid over the bare shoulder, her jaw tensing again and her lips pulling into a tight line, slipping down into a scowl. After a moment she pulled the fabric to the other side and paused, giving a harsh sigh. 

"Right." The word was a dangerous hiss. "I'm going to find you a clean dress, alright dearie?" She was quickly buttoning the dress back up. Her finger crooked under Adeline's chin, tilting it up so she could look the girl in the eye. "You look like you're about to keel over. Get some rest. I'm going to go have a _talk_ with Dutch." The last sentence dripped poison. She thought she could like Miss Grimshaw. 

Adeline nodded, falling against John in slow motion before Miss Grimshaw even left the tent. Her head dropped to his bare chest, finding the spot on his shoulder, under his chin, that she fit just so. He shifted under her, maybe he was less out of it than he looked. She hoped he was. Outside the tent she could already hear Miss Grimshaw yelling. It was a powerful yell, dangerous.

"I am going to beat them black and blue!" She called out, probably to Hosea. "What were they thinking?" The older woman marched away from the tent. Hosea stood just outside the tent for a long minute before he walked off as well, leaving the two to sleep. Adeline felt her eyes prickle as tears started sliding down her cheeks, pooling under her chin on John's chest. Where the hell was Arthur?


	2. Chapter 2

She didn't know how long she slept, curled up against John. It felt like years. Her body felt heavy and useless with leftover sleep as she opened her eyes. The sun was up and people were going about their business as if she didn't want to fall apart right there. John was still sleeping, snoring rather obnoxiously and she wasn't entirely sure that wasn't what had woken her up. She kept her head against his chest, just listening to him saw logs. It was small comfort. She'd never move if she had her way about it. But she couldn't lay there forever. Her stomach began protesting her ignoring it, gnawing at her until she finally say up. Her dress was still filthy and her wrists hurt and she felt like she was made of glass. Sitting on the edge of the cot, she looked down at John. Was he going to sleep forever? Who did he think he was? Rip Van Winkle?

"Miss?" Adeline blinked away her grogginess, rubbing her face and looked over to see a young woman, an innocent face full of curiosity, standing just at the entrance of the tent. 

"Ma'am," She corrected weakly. Who cared? Why was she still arguing the fact? The young woman gave a smart nod. Her hair was pulled back with long chestnut curls trailing down her shoulders. She seemed a proper sort of girl, a stark contrast to the others Adeline had seen around the camp. 

"Ma'am. Miss Grimshaw said I was to get you when you woke up. She has a clean dress for you and wants to feed you." Adeline nodded in response, standing up with a sigh. The girl smiled, warm and friendly.

"I'm Mary Beth." The girl added helpfully, turning to walk off. 

"Adeline." Her response was curt, not intentionally but she felt like she had no patience left to give anyone. She took a few steps to catch up, walking with the young woman.

"Yes, I heard. I just can't believe Arthur and John mated you! How romantic." She spoke a little dreamily at the thought. How young was this girl, she wondered, sizing her up.

"The honeymoon's been a bit rougher than expected." Adeline said darkly, watching the girl. She was carrying on as if Adeline hadn't been considered a hostile prisoner a few hours ago. "How long did I sleep?"

"A whole day!" Mary Beth laughed. "Grimshaw was sure you died." She'd lost a whole day asleep? And Arthur wasn't back yet? He could be the next state over by now, was he still leading the Hunters away? "She was screaming at Dutch most of the night last night, ohhh I've never seen her so mad. She about gutted him." Mary Beth laughed as she walked around a tent to a wagon. Tables were set up around it and a portly, balding man was carving up a deer leg at one of the tables. Miss Grimshaw was standing next to him, complaining. When she caught sight of Adeline, she dropped her argument and sailed over. When she went to take her hand, Adeline pulled it free and kept it pressed close to her body, shut out any future attempt that might be made to take it. Miss Grimshaw's smile faltered a bit but she nodded her head, understanding and motioned to a round table nearby.

"Mary Beth, get her a bowl of stew. Come on, dearie, sit down. You need food." She followed the gesture as the older woman sat her at the table. Mary Beth set a bowl in front of her, the smell of a hot stew wafting up to her and reminding her she had to eat to continue living. Arthur would probably be mad at her if she didn't eat. Her thoughts drifted as she shoveled the food into her mouth. A man sitting across from her started laughing.

"And I thought I was the one with bad table manners!" He laughed like he thought himself very funny. Adeline's eyes cut up to look at him. A receding hairline was hidden under a hat and much of his face was covered in an unruly beard. He was missing a couple of teeth when he smiled. An all around rough looking character. As she stared at him his laugh died. 

"Well, I suppose you ain't eaten nothing in a few days." He gave an uncomfortably cough as she dropped her eyes back to the stew and forced herself to eat slower. "I'm Bill." She paused. He was making an attempt, wasn't that what she wanted? She shouldn't be so harsh, even if he came off like an idiot. "Hosea said you were pack now, I ain't ever had a human in my pack before so I, uh, I apologize in advance if I do anything stupid." Raising her head again, to look him in the eye, she set her spoon down on the table. 

"General rule of thumb, we don't like having guns pointed at us or being tied to trees." Adeline deadpanned before turning her attention back to the stew. Her bowl was nearly empty and she was struggling to scrap the last bits into her spoon. Bill gave an embarrassed sort of grumble.

"No. Don't suppose you would." He muttered, looking away from her. Miss Grimshaw suddenly appeared at Adeline's elbow, glaring at Bill who immediately found something else to do on the other side of camp and left without a word.

"Come on, now. I've got a dress for you to change out of. I'll have to girls try and clean that one off." She didn't wait for Adeline to respond, simply walked off. She stumbled after her, following closely to a tent beside a wagon where several women, Mary Beth included, appeared to be working on various projects. 

"Girls, this is Adeline." Miss Grimshaw didn't elaborate but she was glad to get any amount of introduction, though it was clear they already knew who she was. A rather buxom girl stood up, cheerful and a little bit crass. 

"Well damned if I ain't impressed you managed to mate both of those boys." Her darning work was dropped to the crate she'd been sitting on before holding out a hand. It was clear she wasn't enjoying her work. Adeline shook the hand slowly, a bit overwhelmed by the woman's demeanour. She reminded her of Grace. "I'm Karen, Mary Beth said you already met her." Karen glanced around, pointing to the young woman washing clothes in a nearby basin. "That's Tilly and Abigail's wandered off to hang the wash I think." 

"Karen, the dress?" Miss Grimshaw prodded a little, taking a stern tone with the woman. Karen nodded, opening up a trunk under the tent and pulling out a brown dress.

"Here, if it doesn't quite fit Mary Beth can take it in for you." She held the dress out. Adeline took the fabric, feeling it between her fingers. A bit coarse but reasonably sturdy.

"Oh, I was a seamstress...before." Had it really been less than two weeks since she'd fled home? It felt like years ago. "I can take it in myself." Karen leaned back, an eyebrow raised and a smile spreading across her rosy cheeks. 

"Really? How lucky for us. You can help us dress a bit more fashionable!" She sounded excited. A small smile tugged at Adeline's mouth. The woman was trying hard to be friendly. It did a lot for her. 

"Thank you for the dress." She said quietly. "I'll go change now."

"Just put that dirty thing on the top of the pile there," Tilly called out as she turned to leave. "I'll get to it next, see if we can salvage it." The woman didn't look up from her washing but her tone wasn't angry, only helpful. The women of the pack seemed far more welcoming than the men had. Adeline retreated to John's tent to change, looking at the dress forlornly. It wasn't going to be salvageable, she could already tell. The front was stiff from dried blood. What a shame. Folding it up so the stain was on the inside, she looked to John. He wasn't so pale anymore. Curious, she went to move the wrappings over his shoulder and found the bullet hole almost healed. Scoffing, she let the wrappings fall back into place.

"You're just lazy, then." She muttered, half smiling as she left the tent to drop off the dirty dress. Her eyes scanned the campsite, finding the tent Dutch and Hosea had retreated into to argue the other day. The flaps were open and the two were talking to each other, at ease from their stance. Her feet started moving before she had really decided what to do but she went along with it, marching across the camp to the ten. Dutch and Hosea stopped talking when they caught sight of her walking over. Dutch stepped forward, hands out in welcome.

"Miss," He began.

“Ma’am.” She corrected him through clenched teeth. 

“Ma’am, I just wanted to apologize to you.” He sounded sincere enough, perhaps properly cowed by Miss Grimshaw. Dutch pulled his hat from his head, running a hand through his black curls. “It was a mistake in judgement, I assure you. Had I known-”

“It took Hosea a half second to figure it out.” She informed him, annoyed at how he was trying to deflect his guilt. Behind him, Hosea smirked to himself, looking away to hide it when Dutch glanced back at him.

“Yes, well, I am sorry.” He said, standing up straighter. “I realize we may seem cruel to an outsider, but I must protect this pack.” Now he was leaning into self righteousness. God, he was predictable. “This world is dangerous for our kind. We’re all we’ve got. I am sorry we misjudged you.” 

"Never mind that, what about moving camp?" She waved off his apology, not really accepting it but not really needing one to move one either. Dutch looked back to Hosea then to Adeline like he hadn't expected any of her responses. 

"What about moving camp?" He was genuinely confused. Adeline sighed and looked off, trying very hard not to roll her eyes. 

"The Pinkertons are swarming the nearest town like locusts. We barely got out with our lives, Arthur said you had to move camp." She sighed as she said his name, feeling a tightness of worry in her chest. "If you're so worried about protecting your pack, you've got to move out." Dutch actually seemed to listen to her, that caught her by surprise. She was ready to have to argue her case more than that. He slowly nodded, crossing his arms in thought. 

"Do you think they followed you to camp?" He asked. Adeline shook her head.

"No, Arthur," Her voice caught in her throat and she swallowed to push through it. "He drew them off of us, in the opposite direction." When she looked back at Dutch his eyes were soft, watching her closely. He seemed far more like a leader a person could follow when she wasn't on the wrong end of his gun. 

"Wouldn't you want to wait for Arthur to return?" Hosea asked carefully. Maybe he was worried she'd start crying. Adeline shook her head as she breathed out slowly.

"No. I don't know when that will be and you, we," Was it a we yet? Didn't feel like it was. "don't have the time to wait around. Arthur will find us." She hoped. Dutch and Hosea exchanged glances before Dutch nodded. 

"Alright, we'll wait until John wakes up and then we'll get packed and move." She had expected more resistance to the suggestion. "How is John doing?" He asked with concern. Adeline sighed, feeling herself relax a bit at not having to fight to be heard. 

"Better, at this point I think he's just sleeping in because he's lazy." She admitted. Dutch laughed, nodding.

"That does sound like John." He reached out to clap her on the shoulder which she ducked out of the way of. A look of regret flashed across his face before he turned to Hosea."I'll have Miss Grimshaw and Pearson start packing up the camp. And you, Missus Adeline." He made a point of saying it correctly. "You go on back to John, keep an eye on him. Maybe encourage him to stop lazing about." He joked, pulling back from her. She took the dismissal with a sharp nod of her head, walking past John's tent to put the dress in the laundry. 

Tilly was just finishing up with a piece of clothing as she walked up and reached out for the dress with a smile. Her smile faltered as she looked at the massive stain. 

"Oh. I'm not sure-" She started to apologize. Adeline waved her hand.

"I know. Don't worry about it." With a heavy sigh she walked off to John's tent. He'd moved, shifted on his side in his sleep. It was easy to curl up beside him and bury her face in his chest. His arms wrapped around her and his hand drifted lazily through her hair. Looking up, her heart leapt to see his faded brown eyes smiling down at her. 

"Hey, we're alright." He sounded a little surprised. Adeline reached up to rub her thumb against his stubble with a relieved sigh. John held her hand against his cheek, smiling at her as he ran a thumb across the back of it. His eyes cast down to see the bruising around the wrist and he scowled, sitting up. Grabbing her other hand, he looked at the corresponding bruise on it. When he looked to her face, Adeline dropped her eyes down knowing he wanted an explanation.

“Micah lied,” She whispered and John leaned in. “Told everyone your scent was on me, that I was a liar. They believed him without checking. I spent a night tied up before they figured it out.” When she looked up at him, his face was a mask of anger and his hand tightened around her. “He told them I was a Hunter. But he knew. No one knows he lied. He said he made a mistake, but he knew.” The words kept spilling out and it felt like rocks were falling off of her as she said it. Maybe she shouldn't be saying it, it would only make him mad. As she spoke, his scowl deepened, a mask of anger settling on his face. 

“I’ll kill him.” He was out of bed, still half out of his union suit, and storming out of the tent. Adeline tried to hold his hand but couldn't keep him. She trailed after him, torn. She wanted to see Micah hurt but she didn’t want to cause a scene in camp. She didn’t want everyone to think she couldn’t fight her own battles, even if it was true. It would be one more ‘but you’re a human’ to add to the never ending list.

“John, wait...” She tried to reach for him again but he caught sight of Micah and slipped into a wolf. A black blur of teeth and claws slammed into the other man, not giving him time to figure out what had hit him before sinking teeth into his side. Adeline took a step back, startled by the ferocity and unsure how far back she needed to be to avoid getting caught in the fight. Her hands twisted in the fabric of her skirt, watching as Micah shifted into a wolf, white with yellow markings. He was bigger than John, there was a clear danger he could hurt him. She didn’t know much about sizing up wolves, but she couldn’t just let John get hurt again so soon after his last injury. A hand laid on her shoulder, broad and warm. She looked up to see Charles watching the fight.

“Micah’s an Alpha.” He said. Her eyes snapped back to the fight. 

“He’s going to lose.” She said, worried. “He’s gotten into a fight over me and he’s going to lose.” Shaking her head, she looked about. No one was helping. Those that hadn’t stopped to watch had gone back to their regular chores as if this were a normal occurrence. Charles’ hand weight a little heavier on her shoulder, holding her back. 

“He might not. John’s a good fighter. You can’t interfere. It’s their fight.” He tried to explain. 

“Like hell it is!” She shook off his hand at that, looking up at him in disbelief. It wasn’t John’s fight. Micah had the problem with her, not John or at least if he did have a problem with John it was because of her. She reached down to grab the revolver out of the holster hanging at Charles’ hip and stalked into the whirl of fur. He didn't try to stop her. She was beginning to really liked Charles. 

Micah had John nearly pinned, biting and ripping at John’s scruff while the black wolf tried to twist away. Adeline leveled the gun, throwing her shoulders back into the stance Arthur had shown her and pressed the muzzle against the back of the head of the white wolf. Micah froze and John pulled away, leaving a bit of fur in Micah’s teeth. John snorted at her.

 _I had him_. He was indignant with her.

“I’m not going to see you bleed again because of me.” She argued without moving her attention off of Micah. “I think you know exactly why he attacked you.” She growled at the wolf under her gun. He slipped back to human, far less palatable with his clothing off. 

“I can’t imagine.” He said, keeping his hands raised above his head as if Adeline was mugging him. “It was an honest mistake, cowpoke.” He sneered the words and she almost pulled the trigger then and there. “I was only doing what I thought was best for the pack.” John slipped back to human, standing up, huffing in effort. 

“A grown Alpha couldn’t scent a newly mated human?” He said, disbelieving. The man wasn’t even a good liar. “Stay away from her.” John said, anger in his throat. 

“Or you’ll what?” Micah laughed, standing up and glaring down at Adeline. “Let your bitch fight for you?” John scoffed. 

“I’ll let her pull the trigger.” He sounded very much like he wanted her to do it. She didn’t care for the implications of ownership in the conversation but was willing to let it go considering who John was postureing against. Dutch walked up then, forcing his way into the fight after it had already been stopped and preening like he’d been the one to do it. John rolled his eyes so hard his entire head canted to the side. 

“Boys! I will not have this kind of fighting in the pack! John, Micah admits his mistake.” He turned to John, pleading as if he were a petulant child being scolded by an understanding parent. 

“Hell of a mistake to make, Dutch. Got my mate tied up?” He started yelling, losing his temper again. Reaching out for her, he grabbed her hand that wasn’t holding a gun and held it up. “Tied up so tight she’s got bruises!” Dutch raised his arms, trying to force John to calm down while waving his hands. 

“And I am sorry for that but it doesn’t mean you can go around picking fights.” He still held a cigar, smoking, in one of his hands. 

“That’s exactly what it means.” John argued, letting go of Adeline’s hand and glaring around Dutch to where Micah stood, smugly pulling his clothes back on. “It’s an attack against my mate!”

“Now, Son, it wasn’t an attack. Nobody hurt her. We were simply keeping her under close watch until we could figure out who she was.” He said it as if he hadn’t held a gun in her face for a full five minutes with his finger on the trigger. “You can’t fight Micah, I won’t allow my boys to fight like this.” It was only then he seemed to realize Adeline still had Charles's gun aimed at Micah. "Now Miss."

"Ma'am!" She shouted at him, her attention breaking away from Micah for a second. Micah made a move as if to step towards her and she turned her eyes back on him, pulling the hammer back.

"Ma'am." He sighed, reaching out to set a calming hand on her arm. She jerked out of his reach, scowling and Dutch sighed. 

"Adeline. I know our treatment of you was rough, and I will make it up to you but I can't allow infighting." He spoke slowly. 

"How?" She asked, glancing back at Dutch. 

"What?" He hadn't expected her to ask for a plan. 

"How will you make it up to me?" She finally lowered the gun, uncocking the hammer and turning to look at him. 

"I don't know," Her eyebrows raised, she hadn't expected him to actually admit that. "but I will. You have my promise. Please, just no infighting." He had his hands up like she was some wild beast he was trying to tame. Her eyes looked past him to John who was still angry but seemed calmer at least. His eyes met hers and they gave a slight nod to each other. 

"Fine." She said and Dutch relaxed into a smile, pleased to have been able to diffuse the situation. Turning back, she saw Charles was still standing where she'd left him. Handing him back his gun she looked away, not wanting to look him in the eye.

"Sorry for taking your gun." Pushing past him, she slipped a hand around John's bare arm and began pulling him back towards his tent. "Come on, we need to start packing up."

"Good thing your bitch stopped me, Scarface!" Micah called out. Adeline turned, John's arm caught her before she could launch herself at the man. 

"Micah!" Dutch warned and he set his hat on his head, sneering before walking off. Dutch sighed and turned to look at John and Adeline.

"She's right, go help pack up. We're moving out at sundown."


	3. Chapter 3

John had the tent down and packed up into a wagon in less than an hour. He didn't really need any help from what Adeline could see and it probably took him longer than necessary considering how many times he stopped to tell her what to do. She wanted to be useful. Once the tent was packed with the others, John went to tend to Old Boy. The horse huffed when he came up, nosing pockets for a treat. 

"Hey, Old Boy. You behave while I was out?" He laughed a little at the affectionate horse as he saddled him up and tightened the girth. Adeline shifted uncomfortably next to him, feeling like she stuck out. 

"Dutch will want me riding ahead to scout, you'd better stay back in one of the wagons." He said without looking up. He clearly was expecting a fight over the statement, and he was right.

"What? No!" She felt fear at the idea of being alone with the wolves. "I want to ride with you." John sighed, letting go of Old Boy's saddle and reaching out to hold her arms. 

"I know you're uncomfortable." He gave a small mirthless laugh. "I can smell it on you, and so can they." His eyes glanced away from her to a couple of the women helping load a wagon up. "But you're ours now, alright? You gotta get used to them. Come on, the ladies aren't so bad." He had a point. They had been perfectly affable the brief time she'd spoken to them. She wanted to insist, throw a fit, not be separated from him. John leaned in and pressed his forehead to hers. "It'll be alright." Pressing a soft kiss to the same spot, he looked behind her. 

"Susan! Could you help Adeline to find a wagon to ride in?" He called out. She turned to see Miss Grimshaw scowling. It was hard to tell if she was truly upset or if that was just her normal face, she seemed to scowl quite a lot regardless. 

"Of course, Mr. Marston. Come on, girl." She waved a hand and Adeline had to follow. She tossed a glare at John before turning to trail after the older woman. "You can ride in this one, most of the women will be in here." She motioned to one wagon, not completely full of crates or sacks. "You'll be fine in there."

"Where will you be?" She asked. As hard as Miss Grimshaw tried to be, she was still one of the only people in the pack Adeline knew. The older woman's face softened a bit.

"I'll be up front, driving." Not waiting to say anything else, she walked off leaving Adeline to climb into the wagon by herself and curl up in the far corner. Arthur's suggestion of her own horse seemed like a better idea right now. Surely he'd find her a nice, gentle horse. Her heart ached, still longing for Arthur. She turned her head in the direction he pulled her, still far away. Folding her knees to her chest, she rested her head against them and took slow breaths. This wasn't forever, John wasn't injured, things were going...okay. As she tried to reassure herself, the other women climbed into the back of the wagon, huddling close together to gossip closer to the open back. Adeline kept her head down, they hadn't seemed to notice her curled up in the corner. Maybe that was for the best. 

She fell asleep a little after the wagon drove off, unused to staying up much past nightfall and rocked by the sway of the wheels. When the hard jolt of splashing through a creek woke her, it was hard to judge time. It was dark outside, the glow of lanterns up in the driver's seat sending flickering shadows into the back of the wagon. 

"I can't believe they brought a human into the pack." A woman spoke, Tilly she guessed. She wished desperately she hadn't woken up. She had assumed they would be talking about her, and probably wouldn't like her either, but it stung a little worse to actually hear it. "Makes me feel unsafe having a human so close."

"I bet that poor girl feels unsafe, the way Dutch and Micah were treating her. Awful stuff." A woman she didn't know spoke up. Peeking just a bit past her knees, she could make out silhouettes but not much out. "Shameful way to treat a pack member's mate, human or not." 

"Well, I didn't much care for that either," Tilly said, sounding indignant. "but we're already stretched too thin as it is."

"I don't think you have much of a right to tell them who to mate." Karen spoke up, far too loudly. The other women shushed her and one turned to see if Adeline was awake. She kept still, wanting to avoid any further embarrassment. " Maybe having a human with us could be helpful." Karen continued in a loud whisper.

"You're probably right, but I can't just trust her so easy." Adeline didn't want to hear anymore, shifted in her spot as if just waking up, making sure to make noise and catch their attention. The women fell silent. 

"Come sit with us," The woman she hadn't recognized waved her over. She had a friendly tone to it but also the air of a woman who was used to arguing her way. Adeline shook her head as she sat up. 

"Oh, I'm fine. I wouldn't want to make anyone move." Stretching her legs out, she winced a bit at how stiff her knees had gotten. 

"Oh nonsense. Come sit with us." She repeated again, reaching out a hand to her. If she refused again it would border on rude. Take a deep breath, she scuttled across the wagon space to sit closer to the group of women. "I'm Abigail." The woman took Adeline's hand, shaking it. 

"Adeline. Nice to meet you." She tried to be pleasant, she really did but her words came out tired and distracted. Abigail frowned a bit. 

"You know," She began talking, glancing around at the other women. "I don't think I've ever met a human mate before. I hadn't even realized it was even possible. How did you meet John and Arthur?" Abigail was earnest, and eager but when Adeline thought back to the circumstances that had brought her to the back of that wagon, she frowned a bit and swallowed. Her eyes looked out the back of the wagon, seeing another wagon behind being driven by the cook. She forgot his name. A much older man, round cheeks and white hair framing his face in an unkempt style sat beside him. He was drinking from a whiskey bottle, taking a long pull. 

"Um, John and Arthur helped me...deal with a problem." She knew it wasn't enough of an explanation and she'd have to say the words out loud eventually. When she glanced back to the women, they were all watching, waiting for more details. Taking a deep breath, she nodded her head.

"Right, okay. They came into my shop for new shirts. We hit it off, right away." A small smile felt nice on her face, at least for the moment. "There was this bastard that couldn't take no for an answer and when he got...real upset..." She chose the words carefully but clearly not carefully enough from the looks the women were exchanging with each other. "They helped me make my message clear."

"And you just, left with them?" Tilly asked, leaning forward. She sounded equal parts amazed and disbelieving. 

"Well, there wasn't anything left for me." Adeline shrugged. Abigail scoffed. 

"Oh men, I know just what you mean, Addy. Some of them you have to practically stab to get your no across." She slipped so easily into calling her a nickname Adeline smiled to herself a bit. It felt nice. "I'm not surprised they helped you, especially Arthur."

"Yeah, Arthur's a regular knight in shining armor." Karen joked. "What did you think when you saw him as a wolf for the first time?" She asked in a hushed whisper. There wasn't any pity in her voice. Adeline was surprised to feel herself relax a bit. 

"Oh, well, I found him in my barn with a torn up leg. I uh, stitched him up." The women pulled back, surprised. 

"What?" Abigail shouted. "You found a strange wolf injured in your barn and you _stitched him up_? Are all humans as stupid as you?" 

"No." Adeline sighed and looked away again. She could just see the sky above the wagons though the lanterns mostly blocked out the stars. "I just knew he wouldn't hurt me, I just..." Her brows knitted as she thought about it. "I had to help him. I don't know why." The women laughed hard, making her look back at them in confusion. What did they know that she didn't? 

"Why? Because he was your mate!" Karen argued like the word held more meaning than Adeline understood. 

"You say that like I'm supposed to know what that means." She said, maybe a little more aggravated than she should be. But they didn't seem to mind her sharp tone, laughing more. 

"Humans," Tilly said, glancing sideways at Mary Beth. "For us, for wolves, we know who our mate is when we first meet. That connection is always there, I just didn't know a human could have it." She sounded like maybe she was changing her mind about something. 

"What's it like?" Mary Beth asked, "being mated?" Her admiration for it made her sound younger than she had to be. 

"I don't think it's as strong for me as it is for them, but it's still almost painful to be away from them. I can feel them, and I want to be with them all the time and if I can't I...I hate it. Arthur said it's strongest when you're first mated and that it'll be less overwhelming later but, right now, any time away from them makes me miserable." Her eyes drifted down to the ground passing beneath them. "Oh," She thought of another thing and looked back to the women. "I can understand them when they're wolves. Couldn't do that before we mated." They seemed enthralled with her telling. "Are any of you mated?" She asked as if she didn't know. 

"No," Mary Beth sighed. "it's rare to find you mate. And you found two, and you're human and one of them is an Alpha!" She gushed with excitement. Adeline held a hand up to bring the conversation to that point.

"Yeah, about that. John was explaining that to me and I guess I still don't really understand. Why are there Alphas? Humans don't have that. Or Betas, or Omegas?"

"Alpha's are pack leaders and Omegas are meant to be their mates. But Omega's are rare and your mate could be anything, even human apparently," Karen explained, eyeing Adeline. "When we have pups, only an Alpha and Omega can have Alphas or Omegas. Any other combination just has Betas." When she said the word 'pups' Adeline felt her heart stall in her chest and suddenly a hundred questions she hadn't thought of surfaced. It must have shown on her face because Abigail reached over to nudge Karen into silence. 

"They didn't do a very good job of explaining things, did they?" Abigail asked. Adeline shrugged, taking a breath and forcing the concern away. 

"There wasn't really time, first we were running from my town, and then we were mating and then we were running from the Hunters. I probably should have asked more questions." She could have kicked herself, it was an important thing to know. Did either of them want children? They hadn't mentioned it and both had been so careful not to finish in her. Maybe they didn't. Did she? 

"I don't," Abigail made a false start to reach out to Adeline, her hand falling to her lap. "I don't think humans and wolves can have children." She said the words carefully, watching Adeline's face. The information stung a little more than she would have expected but there wasn't much to be done about it. Shaking her head, she sighed. 

"Probably for the best, I'm not overly fond of children anyways." They were all polite enough to pretend like it was a good lie. It wasn't entirely a lie, but the idea of having a child with John or Arthur was oddly appealing to her in a way she hadn't noticed before. "Who else in the pack is an Alpha? I know Micah, of course." She spit when she said his name, making Tilly giggle. 

"Hosea is," Tilly started, "Charles too but that's a lot for one pack. Four? Hosea's too old to be very hormonal, but the others are in their prime. Should really only be one, but we're such a large pack." She tutted, shaking her head. 

"But Arthur's mated. Twice over now," Abigail argued. "and there's no Omegas young enough to go into heat in the pack so we don't have to worry about much. Charles is so well controlled, you'd never know he was an Alpha." She said to Adeline but Karen snorted.

"Are you kidding? You'd have to be blind to not see the Alpha in that man." She said lewdly, making Adeline snicker. "No, Micah's the only dick to worry about." 

"Can I just shoot him?" Adeline asked, only half joking. The girls broke up into cackles. It felt nice to make them laugh.

"Just do it outside of camp, dearie." Miss Grimshaw called from the front of the wagon and the girls fell silent, having forgotten Miss Grimshaw was driving. Adeline looked over to the woman sitting up at the front. 

"You're an Omega, aren't you?" She asked. A hand clamped around her wrist, thin but strong. Abigail was staring her down. Miss Grimshaw glanced over her shoulder to Adeline, trying to decide something. Maybe whether Adeline was being mean or just curious. She sighed when she made her decision. 

"Yes, I am. Been a long while since I went into heat though. I...cannot recommend it. What did those two idiots tell you about Omegas?" She actually twisted in her seat to look behind her. Adeline shrank under the gaze and struggled to remember what John had told her. 

"You could kill better than them and don't get as big as them." Was that all John had told her? God, she was woefully under prepared for this new life of hers. Grimshaw laughed, turning her attention back to the horses. 

"Well, they weren't wrong." The older woman joked, sending the girls cackling.

The wagons pulled into a clearing beside a lake. Crickets and frogs serenaded them in the early predawn hours. Abigail shook Adeline awake as the women climbed out. She had fallen asleep, curled up on her side near the women as they talked and someone had draped a wool shawl across her shoulders. Something in her relaxed around them, a part of her feeling more welcomed. It was more welcomed than she'd ever been at her old town, not that that was saying much, but it felt nice to fit in, even a little. She couldn't see John anywhere but she could tell he wasn't far off. He said he'd be scouting so she swallowed the longing and looked over when Miss Grimshaw called her name.

"I'm assuming you'll be sharing their tent so you can set it up." The older woman began piling poles and canvas in Adeline's arms. It quickly became too much and Adeline stumbled back, about to crumble under the weight. A broad hand pushed her back onto her feet and grabbed one end of the poles, taking most of the weight out of her arms. 

"Miss Grimshaw." Charles said beside her. The grand dame looked over, finally noticing Adeline struggling under the tent pieces. 

"Oh, that's right. You can't carry that." _Because I'm human_ Adeline thought bitterly but nodded. Miss Grimshaw's eyes shifted to the man beside her. "Charles, you help her." She delegated immediately before turning back to shout at the cook. Mr. Pearson, that's right. Adeline reminded herself before looking up at Charles. 

"Thanks." She said quietly. 

"Javier and I already got our tent up. It's no problem." He hefted the bundle over shoulder like it weighed nothing and dumped it beside Dutch's tent. "Once you know how to do it, they set up easily." The poles and canvas went up as if they were nothing and Charles was pulling rope tight in a second. 

"Easily if you have the strength of a bear." Adeline commented, watching him finish up and feeling embarrassed she hadn't been able to help at all. Charles shook his head, dismissing her appraisal with a laugh.

"Just helping out. You okay with the rest of it?" He asked, nodding to Miss Grimshaw directing a few crates and supplies towards the tent. Adeline following his gaze with a sigh. 

"I will be. Thanks again." He was already walking off as she spoke. She wanted to say more but Pearson was dropping crates off. A skinny redhead who grinned far too familiar, was close behind. He had a smattering of freckles and was missing a tooth when he smiled. 

"Hey, girl!" His Irish brogue took her by surprise, she realized some part of her had thought perhaps wolves only existed in the Americas. The man leaned on the stack of crates. "I know we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Sean, if there's _anything_ you need, I'm your man." He puffed up his chest like he really thought he was. Adeline took him all in and cracked into a snicker before picking up the crate he was leaning on, making him stumble onto his feet.

"If you want to help me, put the crates in the tent and not outside of it." She said over her shoulder. Sean gave a moan but when she turned around he was actually listening. 

"Oh, I can tell you're Arthur's mate. A right sourpuss, same as him." He grumbled. As offended as he acted, he still helped her. Once everything had been unloaded, he climbed up the side of the wagon and handed down a lantern to her. Adeline examined it for a minute and turned back to the tent before she stopped herself and looked back as he jumped down.

"Thank you, Sean." She wished she had something to offer him, he didn't have to help her. 

"Oh, don't mention it, Human. Don't tell him," He leaned in closer to her. "but I owe Arthur plenty." With a laugh, he sauntered off. He was rough and cocky, but he hadn't been anything but helpful, if a bit obnoxious. Thinking it over, she carried the lantern into the tent and set it on top of the crate. The cot in the tent now was different than the one they'd had before. She suspected Miss Grimshaw had allocated them a bigger bed. Falling back into it, she sighed. The blankets still smelled of her boys and she wrapped herself up in them, pretending they were there.

"Missus Adeline," Miss Grimshaw's voice was sharp. "Are you under that pile of rags?" She sounded annoyed but Adeline was learning that was just how Miss Grimshaw spoke.

"Yes, Ma'am." Adeline groaned. She didn't want to leave her cocoon but the older woman wasn't about to leave her alone.

"There's no time for napping! Get your ass up and help around camp. There's chores to do! Take water over to the chuckwagon so Mr. Pearson can start cooking." She loudly set a bucket down and walked off, leaving Adeline to drag herself out of bed and grab up the pail. The tent wasn't far from the lake. 

She pulled the bucket through the water, lifting it out full and dripping while trying to keep it from spilling all over the hem of her skirt. As she began carrying it back into camp, a pulling grew strong inside of her, making her lift her head to see a new rider trotting into camp. The bucket fell to the ground, spilling water everywhere much to the complaints of the old man who’d been sleeping nearby. She didn’t hear him, she only saw that easy smile of Arthur’s as his eyes landed on her before he dismounted. Her feet thudded against the worn grass of camp as she ran to him, throwing herself at him. He caught her up, stumbling a step back while laughing hard. 

“Miss me, Lamb?” He whispered in her ear as he squeezed her tight. Relief in every limb, she clung to him for a moment until her anger caught up with her. Pushing back from him, she scowled hard enough to crack rock. 

"You idiot!" She yelled, having lost any control over her emotions for the moment. "You absolute moron! You go and get the entire Pinkerton Agency chasing after you! I have to ride John’s horse, a thing I _don't know how to do_ AND keep him in the saddle because he got shot and he goes and PASSES OUT the moment I get to camp! I thought he was going to _die_!" Her voice rose until she was just shouting in his face. Her eyes stung as tears brimmed at the corners until they were running down her cheeks. "You just _had_ to go and use your damn self as bait to get us out of there and I don't even know where you are and THEY PUT GUNS IN MY FACE! I was tied up ALL NIGHT!" She shrieked, her arms gesticulating wildly. "I have NEVER been so afraid in my LIFE and I was almost burned to death. HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU put me through all that and leave me alone! The only dress I owned is _covered_ in John’s blood and you think you can just say 'Miss me, Lamb'?" She mocked his voice as she said the last bit, screaming herself out until her shoulders were heaving in a great shuddering breaths. Arthur reeled back, not expecting the onslaught. He raised his hands in self defense, letting them fall to her arms as she yelled herself out. Tears were dripping off her chin as she took gulps of air. In a hurried movement, she threw arms around his waist, clinging to him.

"Don't ever leave me like that again." She whispered into his chest. Arthur took a slow minute to wrap his arms around her and press his nose into her hair.

"Okay, Lamb. Okay." His hand smoothed her hair down. "Where's John?"

"Out scouting." Her hands dug into his shirt, balling the fabric in her fists. His arms moved to pull her into the air and Adeline wrapped her legs around his waist as he began to walk. She moved her arms to his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. 

"There you are, Arthur!" Dutch's voice called out. 

"Busy, Dutch!" Arthur yelled back, ducking into their tent and fumbling with the ties one handed until they fell and gave the two some privacy. Setting her on the cot, he began unbuckling his gun belt. Adeline sat up on her knees to pull his hat from his head and unbutton his shirt. 

"Where have you been? It's been days! Where did you go? How long were they chasing you for?" She asked breathless, her fingers shaking as she exposed his chest, questions cascading out of her. Her hands slid across the light colored hair on his chest. Arthur reached for her face, pressing his lips to her softly, wanting. One hand reached down to pull a knee forward and press her back into the cot. 

"Chased me for three days." He peppered kisses across her cheeks to her jaw. "Ended up a state away." His mouth pressed against her throat, licking across her pulse point. Adeline gave a gasp as his touch ignited her in her core. She dug her fingers into his hair, desperate for him but Arthur moved slowly, savoring her. He tugged at her messy bun until it fell loose to the cot and brushed his hands through it. She leaned in, taking his mouth and demanding her way inside until she could explore his mouth. Her hands slid across his chest, slipping around his shoulders and keeping him close to her. She was frantic, tears in her eyes. Arthur pulled back a little, trapping her under his chin. 

"Shh," He cooed to her as he worked along the buttons of her dress. Once he'd undone them enough, he slipped a hand against the skin of her shoulder, running his thumb against the trail of fresh healing there. Her hands found the buttons of his fly, jerking them hard to undo them. Reassurance rumbled in his chest as he pulled her skirts up, hitching them up to her waist as his hand moved between her thighs. Pushing aside fabric, he slid a calloused finger along her slit before circling his thumb against her sensitive nub. Adeline gasped, clinging to him. He held her to him, one arm across her back as he worked her with the other hand. Swallowing the small mews she was making with his mouth, he slid a finger into her slowly. Her hips canted up to press into his hand, grinding against him. Arthur pulled away from her mouth, attacking her throat with nips and sucking blood to the surface of the skin until she cried out. 

"Please," She begged him through a sob. Shushing her softly, he kissed up her cheek, letting go of her to free himself from his pants and line himself up with her waiting opening. He slid in slowly, Adeline letting out a heady moan and throwing her head back into the cot as she felt herself stretch around him. Once he was fully seated in her, he let his thumb drag down the column of her neck before leaning down low and capturing her mouth again. His hips thrust up into her, hitting just right inside and dragging more moans out of her with her movement. Her leg hitched up over his hip as they moved together. It was slow, languid movements that let her relax beneath him, melting against him as he crooned encouragement in her ear. 

"You feel so good, Lamb." His voice was thick with lust as he slid in and out of her. "Like you were made for me." Her hands danced across his back, holding him close, wanting him closer than possible. When he moved a hand between them to rub against her clit, she cried out, digging her nails into her shoulders. 

"Arthur," She gasped, her breath catching, coming fast and shallow. His steady pistoning coiled tight in her as his hand pushed her closer to the edge. Pressing his face under her chin, he forced her head back to have open access to her throat. He ran his tongue against her pulse point before teasing his teeth along the skin. 

"Come for me," He whispered to her and she fell from the edge with a soft moan, feeling herself let go. Arthur bit down on her throat, not hard enough to hurt but holding her in his teeth, sharp canines on either side of her windpipe. He growled against her skin, pulling free to spill himself against her thigh. 

Once she had come back to herself, she opened her eyes to see Arthur cleaning her off and smoothing her skirts down before tucking himself away. He smiled at her when he met her eyes, laying against her and rolling onto his back, pulling her with him. Cradling her against his chest, he let her lay limp across him. 

"Who held a gun on you?" He asked quietly after a minute, his arms across her back, holding her tight. She hummed in mild confusion, still floating down. "You said they put guns in your face, who is 'they'?"

"The pack." Adeline said quietly, regretting losing control like that. "John already tried to kill Micah." She buried her face in his shoulder, ashamed to have yelled at him in front of everyone. 

"Did he?" Arthur laughed a little, the rumble in his chest comforting. "How'd that turn out for him?" His hand slid up and down her back, his fingers grazing along in a slow motion. 

"I pulled a gun on Micah before he could hurt him." She looked up at Arthur, not sure how he'd take it. He was staring her down, his blue eyes burning her cheeks with blush. 

"You did not!" He didn't sound like he believed her, his mouth cracked into a smile as he gave a little laugh. "I bet Micah wasn't expecting that." His arms squeezed her tight enough the air was forced out of her lungs for a second. She laughed a bit with him, shaking her head.

"No, he wasn't." Resting her head back against his chest, his even breathing was quickly lulling her to sleep. "Miss Grimshaw's going to skin me if I don't help with chores." She muttered, not able to bring herself to leave Arthur.

"Oh, I'll talk to her." He said, his hand brushing through her hair, a thumb rubbing softly against her temple. "You rest." It didn't take much to convince her, her eyes already fluttering closed. She drifted off to sleep, content finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who wanted more werewolf society discussions? No one? Just me? Oh.


	4. Chapter 4

Adeline did venture out of the tent eventually to help with chores, her chest a good deal lighter now that Arthur was back. Maybe John would return soon as well and she would stop feeling like part of herself was constantly missing. She was a sight faster at sewing and patching holes than the other girls and Miss Grimshaw had her working on a large pile of mending before long. Karen and Mary Beth kept up a steady stream of gossip, excited to go to the nearby town once everything in camp settled down. Charles walked back and Adeline's eyes followed him, or more specifically the rip in the sleeve of shirt.

"Charles!" She yelled at him, making him jump at bit. "Your shirt's got a hole in it." Without looking up from her darning, she pointed to the pile next to her. To her surprise, the blue shirt landed on top of the pile, making her start and look up to see Charles walking away, shirtless. Karen gave a low grunt of appreciation at his receding back, shaking her head then glancing over at Adeline. 

"Thank you for that." She smirked. Adeline shook her head, looking back down at her work.The buxom woman nudged her with the toe of her boot, drawing her eyes back up. "Glad Arthur's back?" The other girls snickered and Adeline blushed bright, her cheeks hot as she made a move to stand and leave _that_ kind of teasing. "Aw, I don't mean anything by it, don't go." Karen quickly stumbled over an awful apology. 

"I hadn't realized I had been that loud." She grumbled but sat back down. Karen laughed hard. 

"You weren't! But honey, he literally carried you off to your tent. We ain't stupid!" Her laugh was cheerful and coarse. "We're glad he's back too, you're about a thousand times more friendly now." Had she really been so standoffish? Of course she had, she was always like that. Back in her old town it had practically been a point of pride. When she was around Arthur and John though, everything just seemed more pleasant. 

"Oh leave her alone." Abigail joked, walking up with an empty laundry basket having just hung up the most recently washed clothes. "You should be so friendly after that kind of introduction." Karen gave a nod of agreement and the other women dropped the line of talk. Except Karen kept glancing back at her. Managing to finish up the hole she was patching before losing her mind, she threw the finished shirt to the ground and looked up at Karen.

"What?" Goodness that woman was going to worry her to death. She was funny and the first to suggest a drink but she couldn’t keep herself from prying. 

"I just, I got a question." She raised her eyebrows to signify it was about _that_ topic. Adeline took a moment to think it over and finally decided, screw it.

"Yeah, alright. What?" A heavy sigh made her shoulders heave as she looked over at Karen. She was going to regret answering her questions, she knew it. 

"It's just, you're mated to two so I was just wondering, did you, you know? At the same time?" Adeline hadn't expected that question. Her eyebrows shot up and the other girls all looked at her, waiting. Her blush only deepened. Grabbing up another piece of mending she focused intently on the cloth.

"Yeah," She muttered without looking back. 

"Oh, that's so terribly romantic." Mary Beth sighed. Her comment made Adeline stop for a minute, glancing up and seeing no judgement from the women. She had expected to be the butt of a joke over it, but they all seemed...impressed. 

"It...was." The words slipped out, a small smile danced across her lips for a moment. 

"I have to say, " Tilly sat back on her heels, tossing freshly cleaned clothes into the laundry basket. "I wouldn't have thought a human would have had it in them." Her momentarily lifted mood came crashing back down at that comment. Adeline's mouth tilted down a bit as she looked back to her work. "I didn't mean it in a bad way," Tilly tried to explain. 

"No, I know." The woman wasn't being mean, Adeline was just sick of it being brought up. "I know I'm not a wolf, and that's going to come up a lot, and it already has been brought up and I just...wish I fit better." Taking a slow breath, she went back to work, pulling the needle through the cloth. 

"Oh, honey, after you get bonded to the pack you'll fit fine." Abigail waved off her concerns and Adeline paused, looking at her. Abigail caught her confusion and sighed tiredly. "Those men, I am going to have to yell at them."

"Am I not part of the pack already?" Didn't mating John and Arthur do that? What other hoop was she going to have to jump through next? 

"Well, no, not exactly." Abigail thought for a moment before standing up and pulling Adeline behind her. Arthur was talking with Dutch and Hosea when she found him, marching towards the men forcefully. When Arthur's eyes trailed to Adeline in question, she could only shrug.

"Miss Abigail, Missus Adeline. To what do we owe the pleasure of your glare?" Dutch asked, smirking around a cigar. Arthur cut his eyes at Dutch, silently urging him to be silent. It seemed Arthur could tell when Abigail was about to go off on a rant and was very clearly fearful of it. 

"Arthur Morgan!" Abigail leaned into him. "I am livid with you and John, every time I speak to this poor girl I learn of yet one more thing you've _neglected_ to tell her. Well I am done!" Reaching back, she pushed Adeline in front of her, inches from Arthur. He was looking down at her, apologetic. "Tell her about the pack bonding." At the mention of it, he swallowed hard, his eyes darting back to her.

"To become a member of the pack, you have to make a kill for the pack." He spoke slowly, half whispered as he looked away. 

"And!" Abigail reached past Adeline to shove Arthur hard enough in the chest he stumbled backwards. 

"And you have to eat its heart." He sighed. She could understand why he hadn't told her yet, it was a gruesome thought. 

"Arthur..." Abigail's tone was dangerous, she clearly wasn't finished with him. Adeline's mouth opened as she prepared a barrage of questions but both her and Arthur were distracted by a pulling. They turned as one to see a rider trotting on. Adeline was already running through camp, a smile on her face and the thoughts about the previous discussion erased from her mind. 

John was ready for her, catching her in his arms and pulling her off her feet as she buried her face in his neck, inhaling his scent. Oh how she missed his scent. John laughed a little, smiling down at her. 

"Am I going to get a greeting like that every time I come back? I'll have to leave more often." He joked as he set her down on her feet. His eyes drifted up as Arthur came walking up behind Adeline. 

"Marston, see you managed to get lucky yet again." He called out. John reached around Adeline, pulling Arthur into a rough kiss for a long moment.

"Good to see you alive too, you old shit." He said as he pulled away. "Has Micah been bothering you any?" His attention turned back to Adeline. She shook her head, looking around the camp. 

"I haven't even seen him since you woke up and I pulled a gun on him." There was a sense of satisfaction in that, even if she knew that Micah held no real fear of her. John laughed a little at her.

"I still say I was doing fine." He argued, his attention sliding across camp to see Dutch and Hosea. "I gotta talk to Dutch about what I found, excuse me." His hand slid along Adeline's waist before he pushed past her and Arthur to walk across camp. Dutch was clearly excited to see John, clapping him on the back and calling out. Arthur nudged Adeline a little, grinning down at her.

"Watch this, Dutch'll say 'we should celebrate'." He crossed his arms, waiting. Dutch's voice rang out across the camp, much of it muffled since he was talking in the opposite direction of where she and Arthur stood. 

"...and we should celebrate!" The end of a sentence was carried over on the wind and Arthur mouthed along with it. Adeline snickered a bit. 

"So what does that mean?" She asked. Arthur reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her heart fluttered a bit at the attention. 

"That means, we're gonna get drunk tonight." He said it with eager anticipation. Adeline's brows shot up at the idea, she had never been much of a drinker and had only ever gotten drunk maybe once or twice in her entire life. Arthur's swagger as he walked away from the horses made it clear he drank a fair bit. It didn't surprise her, it was just one more thing that was very different about this life she'd rushed headlong into. 

It was comfortable. Sitting on Arthur’s lap and kissing John with a beer in her hand. The only man with a white beard was Uncle, and he was happy to play bawdy songs on his banjo while everyone sang along. With half a bottle in her, even Adeline tried to join in, feeling loose and happy with both men pressed against her. It might have tasted awful but by the time she’d finished the first beer, she wanted another one. 

Stumbling to her feet, chased by laughter, she made her way to the chuck wagon to grab another bottle. From there, the fire light and noise was less and she could lean against the table to watch. It was warm, the feeling inside her to see the whole pack laughing and enjoying themselves. John was leaning into Arthur, his arm around his back. They seemed so at ease around each other, it made her heart feel fit to burst. Her hand lingered on the crate as she enjoyed the view. 

“You don’t belong here.” A voice hissed behind her before a hand closed around her wrist. Adeline jerked back, senses dulled a bit and her reaction time was slowed. Micah glared down at her, his hand tightening. “You’re gonna bring down every hunter around on us. It ain’t right to be mixing with humans.” He snarled. “Leave.” With a jerk of his hand he pulled her closer, his other hand grabbing her collar up tight and lifting her up onto her toes. 

“Where would I go?” She hissed, jerking her arm free but still too close as he breathed into her face. “Why would I go?”

“Because if you don’t, I’ll kill you.” She felt the edge of a blade press against her neck but she was drunk enough to be mad instead of scared. “I’m a survivor, human. I ain’t going to let you have the Hunters gun us down just because you’re a good fuck.” He scowled at her, there was no dulled edge of drunkenness in his voice and Adeline reckoned he hadn’t been drinking at all. 

“Hunters kill them, they’ll kill me too.” Her words were tense. _You don’t belong here_ rang in her head just a bit too close to the truth. “Don’t think I’d be very inclined to bring them anywhere.” Her hand moved up to push the blade away from her neck, fingers digging into his sleeve. “And if you hurt me, Arthur and John will kill you.” Micah laughed, shoving her to the ground. 

“Your mates ain’t gonna be around to save you forever.” He sneered, walking off, leaving her sprawled back in the dirt. She wiped at her neck, feeling a fresh sting where the blade had bit in a bit. Pulling herself to her feet, she didn’t feel much like another drink now. Her eyes trailed after Micah as he walked away and Adeline wondered what exactly died in his craw to make him so mean. The sounds of laughter around the fire was inviting but mood had turned too dark for that. Instead, she retreated into their tent, curling up on the cot. 

“Addy?” John’s voice carried into the tent, followed by his hand as he pushed the flap aside. “Where’d you get to?” He laughed as he spoke, still half drunk. She tightened up under the blanket as he stumbled in. “There you are!” He very nearly fell into the bed, his arms around her and his face buried in her neck. 

“Oh, I missed you, girl.” He said as he inhaled deeply, only to pause and jerk back. “Micah.” It was a hiss and he was up, sliding to wolf and bursting out of the tent. 

“John, no!” She called after him, attempting to grab his arm and stop him before he did something stupid. “John!” He was already vanishing into the dark, she had no hope of keeping up. Groaning in aggravation, she looked back to the fire. 

“Arthur!” Hitching up the hem of her skirt, she tripped across the grass to get him. “Arthur, John’s going to do something stupid!” He turned at the sound of his name, his laugh dying on his face as she called for him. Sighing to himself, he set his beer down and stood up. 

“Well, what’s new?” He joked, reaching out to help steady her as Adeline fell against him. She pointed back the way John had gone, into the darkness surrounding camp. Arthur followed her motion, then looked back at her for a second, suspicious.

“He’s going to go fight Micah.” She said, desperate. He didn’t wait to ask why, which she was thankful for, but slipped to wolf and loped away. Their conversation hadn’t gone unnoticed by the others at the fire.

“Ay!” Sean’s voice carried, loud and slurred. “What’s Micah done now?” Eyes were on her, making Adeline shrink away from the attention. Instead of answering she tried to follow behind Arthur, the sound of snarls and snaps already. The light of camp didn’t quite reach far enough for her to see the fight, darkened blurs balled together as they fought.

“Boys! Stop this!” Hosea’s voice rang out behind her. She thought he had gone to sleep for the night. “John, Arthur, Micah.” A hush fell over the camp, any music or laughter died immediately at the sound of Hosea’s shout. The three wolves stopped fighting and separated, each keeping their head down and eyes cast away. "What on earth is going on?" He looked to Adeline for answers but she didn't want to meet his eye. It just felt like her fault everyone was getting yelled at. Arthur was the first to speak up. He slipped back to human as though he were nothing more than a puff of smoke, anger still a mask on his face. 

"John was fighting Micah and I couldn't let him get his ass handed to him." He admitted, glaring at Micah as the pale wolf slid into human. Adeline's lips pinched together and she looked away. Micah's nudity wasn't exactly pleasant to her. Hosea cocked a brow and glared down his nose at the black wolf stubbornly refusing to shift. 

"It's my fault." Adeline said. "Micah was...talking to me, and I guess John smelled him on me and he ran off before I could stop him." She wasn't sure exactly how it was her fault, but it felt like it was. Hosea gave a sigh, looking Adeline over. 

"How'd his scent get on you if he was just talking to you?" The old man asked. His gaze was a little too intense and she had to look away, trying to think of something that wouldn't start another fight. Absentmindedly her hand strayed to her throat, rubbing at the still tender spot the blade had been pressed into. Hosea stepped uncomfortably close and her hand went out to stop him, splayed against his waistcoat lightly. He took the hint and raised his hands, stopping for a second. "If his scent is on you, that means he touched you. It's... _frowned upon_ to touch someone else's mate without permission." His tone was gentle as he explained. "They'd be well within their rights to fight him over it." A small war clashed in her head as he spoke. She didn't want them fighting and getting hurt but damn if she wanted Micah to never touch her again. Another part of her whispered, _if this was their way of doing things. who was she to complain?_

Her hand dropped from Hosea and she allowed him to scent her, turning her face away as a thin, cool finger traced across the sore spot on her neck. The blade must have left a cut. The thought only made her frown more. Hosea pulled back, eyeing Adeline curiously before giving a short nod to Arthur. He was already shifting, launching himself at Micah with claws out and fangs bared. The two of them fell on Micah, snarls and barks filled the air. A crowd was forming to watch the fight. She felt her cheeks burn as eyes fell on her before sliding to the ball of fur and teeth. 

It wasn't long before Arthur had Micah pinned under him, John's jaws locked tight around some of the pale wolf's scruff. A cheer went up from the crowd and the two released Micah. Shifting to human, Arthur towered over the man as he slipped to human. 

"Keep your hands off her." He snarled, walking to Adeline without looking back. John snorted, preferring to stay wolf as he trotted behind. "Lamb, you okay?" His hands shuffled up and down her arms as if to warm her. 

"I don't like you getting hurt because of me." She said quietly. Her hand slipped into John's scruff as he neared. Hosea walked up, looking between Arthur and John with mild disapproval. Adeline shrank back, putting Arthur between her and the older man. 

"Arthur..." He said cautiously. 

"I know, Hosea. I know." Arthur ducked his head. If he'd had a hat on he would have pulled the brim down, Adeline imagined. 

"Full moon's in two days." Hosea said, glancing skyward. It was a cloudy night, but Arthur had told her they could tell what the moon was like without looking. "I'm sorry, but it's going to be a problem." He did sound genuinely regretful. When his eyes met Adeline's, he couldn't hold her gaze. Instead he shook his head and walked off. She wasn't sure what he was talking about, but knew it involved her. Again she was cursing herself for causing so much trouble. 

"I'm sorry." She whispered with a heavy sigh. Arthur moved to pick up their clothes that had fallen to the grass, shaking his head. 

"You gotta stop apologizing for things that ain't your fault." He paused, looking back at her. "We need to talk." John whined against her but Arthur shook his head. "There's no avoiding it. Got two days."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question for the readers:
> 
> For the next chapter do I go balls to the wall or do I use the more tame version?  
> I can't decide so I thought I'd ask your opinions.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, this is a long one.  
> Probably not as out there as y'all expected.

Around their tent, the camp carried on with their celebrating. She supposed the rest of the pack probably needed an enjoyable night, even if she wasn't having one. Arthur closed the flaps as John trotted in and jumped onto the cot. He eyed his lovers from his spot, stubbornly staying as a wolf and taking up the entire cot with his great bulk. Adeline frowned at him, shoving him roughly to make room for herself. Arthur chuckled as he lit the lantern sitting on a few crates. 

"John, if we have to have a talk I'd prefer you not hide in your wolf self." Adeline looked him down. "I can't understand you as well like this." She hated she was asking him to shift back but whatever was hanging over her head was too important for miscommunication. With a heavy sigh, John slipped into human. His head hung and he wiped at his face. He didn't want to have this conversation and wasn't going to start unless someone lit a hot poker under him. 

"To stay with the pack, you have to bond yourself to it." Arthur said finally. She understood that much, nodding along. 

"Yes, Abigail brought that up. Arthur, you said I have to make a kill for the pack and..." Her lip curled a bit at the next part. "eat its heart. I assume raw, of course. It doesn't sound exactly palatable but not as dire as everyone seems to be making it out. I had to kill my own chickens before, even a goat once or twice. I know that's probably not what you mean but I'm not averse to a little necessary slaughter." John eyed her, sitting beside her looking _scared_. She slipped her hand into his, squeezing it reassuringly. 

"That's not all of it." His raspy voice was a warning. She looked him over closely, trying to figure out what they weren't telling her. What they didn't want to tell her. 

"To bond with the pack you..." Arthur couldn't finish the sentence. His hesitancy to even explain what was expected of her did nothing to calm her nerves. What awful thing were they going to ask of her, and how far was she willing to go? Arthur reached out to rub her arm reassuringly. Pretty far, she realized. 

"Arthur, just speak plain. It can't be worse than this dancing around you two are doing." She reached out to take his hand with her free hand, there was a tremble in his fingers. 

"You have to prove you can provide for the pack, and then you have to submit to the pack." He bit the words out. "I was thinking, I was sure, since you were human they'd forego the last bit, not being like us and all, but..."

"They insisted." She finished for him. He couldn't meet her eyes. "And by submit, you mean like I submitted to you when we mated." She didn't have to ask, she knew. That seemed appropriately dire for everyone to be squeamish about telling her. She just needed him to says it.

"Yeah, Lamb. The same." He let out a heavy sigh, already knowing how she'd act. Moving the lantern aside, he sat down heavy on the crates beside their cot. 

"We can go, we don't gotta stay here." John rushed to argue. "We could make our own pack, hell, Arthur's even an Alpha." Adeline thought for a long moment. John's arms wrapped around her shoulders, his head pressed to her neck as he breathed her in. She'd noticed he'd started scenting her when he was worried. Reaching up to cup his cheek, she ran a thumb against his stubble.

"The whole pack? That seems unrealistic." Her mind turned the idea over and didn't find herself immediately shouting no. Arthur's brows shot up, that hadn't been the response he'd expected, clearly. She supposed she should probably be repulsed by the idea, but she wasn't. Not really. More curious. 

"No, two of us so four of the pack. Your decision. Any non-mated Alphas or Betas." He reached out, unwrapping John's arms from her so he could pull her to stand between his legs. His hands slid to her back, thumbs rubbing small circles against the fabric of her dress. "John's right, we can leave, you don't need to do anything you don't want to. Our ways ain't yours, and we know that."

"Hush that." She shook her head, dismissing the suggestion. "Four at the same time, or one at a time? I'm not sure I could do four at once." There simply weren't enough opening, it wouldn't work logistically. 

"No," Arthur chuckled, mostly out of surprise. "One at a time, on the full moon. Two days from now." He looked up at her, hopeful. "You serious? Lamb, don't do anything you don't want to." She combed her hand through his hair, it was getting long. She should tell him to cut it before he got too raggedy looking but she could only smile as her fingers slipped through the gold locks. It felt nice to tangle her fingers in. 

"It'll be okay. Can I have tomorrow to choose?" The look of wonder in his eyes settled heavy in her chest, warming her. John pressed close against her back, his teeth grazing her neck.

"You can have whatever you want." He growled into her shoulder. Arthur pressed his head against her stomach, his hands balling up the fabric of her dress. The relief in them was palpable.

The next morning around camp was quiet, most pack members were sleeping off the night before. As much as a few were groaning and complained, Adeline was glad she hadn't been able to drink more. Maybe it was something better eased into, she thought. Her eyes trailed along the tents of camp, trying to evaluate people she didn't know very well. It was still early and there was the mending to tend to, always mending to tend to. Adeline had the barest suspicion that Miss Grimshaw wouldn't let her have a day off just because she had important choices to make. By mid morning she was well settled into the work, her eyes following people around the camp. 

"Did those fools finally explain everything to you?" Abigail asked, sitting down beside Adeline as she worked. The other woman picked up mending to having a reason to sit and talk with her. 

"Yes." Adeline smirked a bit without looking up, enjoying the floundering sounds Abigail made.

"Well, damn it, what are you going to do?" She huffed, impatient for the gossip. "Are you and them leaving?" Clearly no one in the pack thought she would go through with it. She felt she should be offended by that. 

"No." She kept it up, enjoying the reactions she was getting out of Abigail. The raven haired woman sucked in a quick breath, stumbling over her words at first. 

"I, I never thought a human would do it." She finally admitted. Adeline rolled her eyes in minor annoyance. 

"Yes, yes. Humans don't do anything, I understand. But, who should I choose?" Finally turning to look at Abigail, Adeline let her mending fall to her lap. Abigail sat back against the crate beside her, looking off as she thought.

"You need someone,"

"Four someones," Adeline interrupted her. Abigail raised her eyebrows but then slowly nodded as if remembering.

"Right, you need wolves who'll be gentle with you." Her eyes scanned the camp critically. "Someone who won't be too rough, take care of you. Knows what they're doing. You might be better than most humans but you still ain't built like us. Anyone in particular that you're thinking of?" Her clear blue eyes landed on Adeline again and she looked away, not sure of herself. 

"Charles?" She dared to look back. 

"Had that one loaded in the chamber, huh?" Abigail snickered, nodding her head. "He's an Alpha but he's got good control. Charles would be good, anyone else?"

"Sean." He'd been nice to her, going out of his way to help her even. Abigail snorted in response.

"Oh lord, he will talk the entire time, I'm sure." She laughed a bit, both girls eyeing the still sleeping redhead snore from his bedroll. 

"He was kind to me, and he seems to admire Arthur." She argued. Abigail stopped her giggles, nodding. 

"He does, he'll be gentle I bet. And he won't last very long, which I'm sure you want."

"I do?"

"You do." She reassured her. Adeline started, suddenly realizing something.

"You had to do this too, didn't you? Everyone had to do this, to join the pack, right?" It felt a little better to know they weren't singling her out. Abigail nodded, smiling fondly as if it was a pleasant old memory. Maybe it would be for her too. She hoped it would be.

"But I'm not mated, so I only had to fuck one pack member." She wasn't a woman to mince words. "And I work as a whore every now and again, so it wasn't that different for me. I get the feeling it's not like that for you." Her delicate hand rested on Adeline's knee, eyes shifting to concern. "Are you sure about this?" Adeline nodded her head slowly, looking out over the camp, her eyes stalling on Arthur as he carried a bale of hay towards the horses. The way the muscles in his shoulders moved made her chest feel a little tight. 

"I admit, it was a startling thing to hear. And maybe I should be more upset about it, but I'm not. At all." Adeline took a moment to ponder over it. Anyone back in her old town would have been scandalized at the very idea. Thoughts of her old home came to her, making her realize she felt more at home in the pack than she ever did back there. And she wasn't even really part of the pack yet. "I guess I just don't mind it? I'm not afraid that they'll hurt me and no one will think less of me for it, like they would if they were human."

"Oh, Lord no." Abigail gave a loud laugh. "I'd dare to say they'll be impressed. I know I am." She felt a twinge of pride to have impressed Abigail. "Now, that's just two, you need two more." Her blue eyes went back to scanning the camp, looking for just the right pack member. "Lenny? He's young but he's clever, bet he'd treat you like glass." He was sitting at a table, playing dominoes with Tilly. They laughed together over some joke she couldn't hear from her vantage point.

"Too young, probably." Adeline argued, eyeing him. He was handsome in a soft way but he looked nearly ten years younger than her. Abigail started to say something then eyed Adeline. 

"How old do you think he is?" She leaned back, eyeing the human for a moment, realizing something. 

"I wouldn't know. Early twenties?" She made a guess. Even that felt like a generous estimate. 

"He's closer to forty. Honey, wolves age about half as slow as humans." Abigail looked cross, probably angry with Arthur and John again but Adeline could only laugh, throwing her head back at the giddiness. Abigail's face twisted up in confusion. 

"I thought I was so old compared to the other girls!" Tears squeezed out of the corners of her eyes as she giggled. "I must be the youngest person here, oh I'll _have_ to tease the boys about that." She was having a bit of a fit, trying to stop laughing at the surprising bit of information. Abigail smiled, unsure of the reaction she got. Finally calming herself down, Adeline wiped at her eyes. "Alright then, Lenny. Anyone else you recommend?"

"Javier, he's a bit of a runabout. He'll know how to treat you right." Her eyes landed on the man Adeline had seen playing guitar around camp occasionally. He was certainly well dressed. "Well, at least you can look him over before you make a decision." Abigail smirked, raising her hand to call Javier's attention. "Javier! We could use some music while we work!" She yelled across the camp. His head turned with a smile and he was quick to pick up his guitar and trot over. 

"Anytime for you, ladies." He gave a polite tip of his hat before settling back against the wagon next to them and settling against his guitar. Adeline flushed and looked back down at her mending, wanting to shove Abigail very hard, possibly into water if she could manage it. Javier smirked at her but quickly began playing a Spanish song. He was a very good player, she had really only heard him play the night before when spirits had been high and she'd been a little drunk. She could appreciate his voice better now, even if she was annoyed with Abigail. She didn't understand the words but she suspected it was a love song. 

It was after Pearson had called out for supper that Adeline found Arthur and John talking underneath an old tree at the edge of camp. They both looked over as she picked her way through the underbrush to them. The dying sunlight casting long shadows and painting the nearby lake with oranges and pinks. 

"Did you make your decisions?" Arthur asked. John was standing against the tree, silently watching her. 

"Yes, except I have one last question." She twisted her hands together, afraid she already knew the answer. "If they're Betas and Betas have to shift under a full moon does that mean..." She trailed off, the size of Arthur and John when they were as wolves was concerning. Their first meeting, he had stood full up and she had seen his bare size in that shape. It struck her as an unrealistic expectation. 

"Oh, no, we'll finish before the moon rises." Arthur hurried to assure her, grabbing her hands to still their fretting. 

"And we can hold off the shift for a little." John added, finally speaking up from his position under the shadows. She nodded at their reassurances, looking back over the camp behind her. Part of her worried this was all some sort of joke and they'd have a good laugh at her soon.

"So, walk me through what will happen." She asked, worry on her mind. 

"Well, we'll start late afternoon, early evening. We'll all shift, you'll need to drop your clothes." John started to explain but seemed to start coughing when he got to that part. Adeline's head snapped to look at him and her heart pounded in her throat.

"Oh, and I suppose I'll have to be...naked in front of everyone." Her lovers both nodded. Of course, she would be spared nothing would she? "And when I...submit," She didn't like the way that word felt. Fuck seemed more appropriate but she couldn't bring herself to be as flippant with the word as Abigail was. Not at the moment, at least. "it'll be out in the open." Both men nodded again."I just, what animal am I going to have to kill?" She sighed, already tired before even doing anything.

"Something big enough the whole pack can have a bite. Deer would probably be the best bet." Arthur continued to talk. John had crossed his arms, watching Arthur dig a deeper hole as he went on. 

"So I have to shoot a deer naked?" It would probably be the least difficult thing she did that evening. She doubted she would be any good at shooting.

"No, no guns allowed." Arthur corrected her, making her scowl. He smirked to see Adeline get indignant over _that_.

"Arthur! What am I supposed to do? Rip it apart with my bare hands?" She looked down at her hands. The claws the wolves had would make short work of a deer but she didn't even have any nails to speak of.

"I'd pay money to see that." John said, standing up to step closer to the conversation.

"John, shut up." Arthur growled over his shoulder at him before looking back to Adeline. "You'd get a knife. Concessions would be made since..."

"Since I'm human. Right." She shifted from foot to foot, growing aggravated. "So I have to kill a deer, with a knife, naked and then eat its heart. And immediately after that... _fuck_ four people." It sounded like something some wild satanist did, in the woods before calling upon the Devil himself. Was she really so debauched? The smirk John was giving her told her she absolutely was. 

"I don't like the idea of Micah seeing me naked." She admitted. Arthur gave a small laugh, his hands moving to grip her waist.

"He wouldn't dare try anything. Not during a bonding." He reassured her. His words were kind but she'd rather somehow exclude Micah. That didn't seem like an option, though.

"Yeah, if he gets near you I think we're allowed to just kill him, outright." John added, laughing.

"We're allowed to help you hunt, as your mates. You just have to make the kill unaided and eat the heart. Who all did you pick?" Arthur was curious now, his mood had shifted as Adeline had relented her anger at the task in front of her. 

"Charles, Javier, Sean,"

"Sean?" John interrupted her, disbelieving. Arthur cut a snarl at him.

"She can choose who she likes," He growled before returning his attention to Adeline. "Who else?" She bit her lip, hesitating. "It's okay," His hand slid up, cupping the back of her neck while his thumb rubbed against her bare skin. She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes. 

"Abigail." Arthur's fingers stilled against her skin and she had to open them to see his reaction. She'd expected a scowl but instead he was looking at her in mild amazement. Like he had expected any answer but that. 

"Really?" John asked, pleasantly surprised. Adeline didn't really want to explain herself  
but felt like she had to.

"Well, I just...she seemed like she would know what to do. And I guess she's my friend," She _was_ her friend, Adeline realized with a shock. "So I wouldn't feel so embarrassed about it and," Arthur's thumb started rubbing against her skin again, his other hand cupping her cheek. 

"It's alright." He glanced to John briefly then back to her, catching her gaze up in his eyes. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead. "We were surprised is all, you'll get no argument from us." 

"Do I need to tell them?" Of everything she had to do that seemed the most embarrassing thing to do. How ridiculously fearful of her, she was willing to be as intimate with them as a person could get but _telling_ them such was task too far? She should force herself to do it, not allow such simpering behavior to settle into a habit for her. Arthur shook his head and she felt a bit of relief, even so.

"No, I'll do it." His eyes looked up at the sun setting. "You should go get some sleep. You'll need your strength for tomorrow." With a gentle shove, he pushed her towards their tent. She wanted to protest but she was tired, worrying as much as she had been doing lately was apparently exhausting. 

When she stripped down to her chemise and sat on the cot, John stepped into the tent. He began divesting himself of his clothes, setting his hat on the crates by the bed. Adeline rubbed at her face, feeling tired in her bones. 

"You don't have to lay down with me. I'm sure you have things to do." He only shook his head, grinning. He leaned in close, falling into the cot and pulling her down with him. She should protest, send him out to whatever work he was avoiding but damn, if she didn't need him close to her right then. Rolling to face him, she buried her face in his chest. 

"You're something else, you know that?" He whispered into her hair, pulling a blanket up over them before reaching out to turn off the lantern beside the cot. It was much later when Arthur slipped into the cot behind her, pressed close against her back. It was becoming familiar to the point she was starting to have trouble sleeping if it wasn't between the both of them. 

The next day Miss Grimshaw swooped in and stole her plate of food away just as she sat down for breakfast. Hungry and still half asleep she was about ready to pick a fight with the old battle axe. Turning in her seat, she squinted up at her. 

"If you're bonding with the pack tonight, you're not to be eating today." She snapped at Adeline in response to the scowl she gave the old woman. Her mouth opened to respond but there was nothing there to say. Only a sullen grumble at her empty belly. Around midday Arthur found her, pressing a knife into her hand. It was odd looking to her, a flint blade and the handle was some canine jawbone. She turned it over in her hands for a minute, examining it. 

"Keep this with you at all times." He said, like the knife was more important that she knew. "It's your claws, alright?"

"This can kill a deer?" She didn't quite believe that. Arthur nodded, motioning for her to follow him. Picking up her skirts a bit, she jogged to keep up with his long stride. 

"If you use it right. I went and caught a deer this morning. You can help me gut it and I'll show you what to do." He explained, heading towards the chuck wagon. It didn't sound like a pleasant way to spend her afternoon but at least her stomach was empty. 

Late in the afternoon, her stomach still complaining about not being filled, the pack seemed to grow restless. Adeline and Arthur both looked up as a small commotion broke out near a campfire. Charles had thrown a heavy punch into Micah's face, knocking the other Alpha back on his ass much to the laughter of the others around them. Arthur didn't laugh, only smirked a bit before returning to carving up the venison Adeline was helping him with.

"Suppose we should expect a few temper flares before hand. Everyone's kinda strung tight right before a full moon." He said to her as he sliced into the meat. 

"Did you tell them?" She felt her cheeks flush and frowned at herself. "Tell them that I chose them?" Forcing herself to look up at him and not linger in her embarrassment, she caught his eyes. They were soft on her. 

"Of course." He said, smiling as he returned to his work. She waited for him to elaborate but he didn't and she huffed a little.

"Well, what did they say?" She finally asked, setting the jawbone knife down on the cooking table. 

"Lamb, a wolf would never refuse a bonding." Arthur said without looking up, smiling more to himself now. "I would dare say they probably felt honored. Abigail seemed about to cry she was so honored. No one's going to refuse you." He set his knife down and wiped his hands off on his pants. Looking her square in the eye, she felt her breath rush out of her lungs. She was unsure exactly what made her struggle to breathe but she suspected that would be most of her night tonight. "You're going to do fine." He reassured her. 

"Arthur, Addy!" John's voice caught their attention as he came walking over with purpose. "Hosea said we can start now. Come on." He was already tugging at Arthur's arm to pull him away from the deer carcass. Adeline looked back at the camp to see wolves already loping off through the trees. About to step away, she thought better of it and grabbed up her knife before following after the men. 

"I'll get you a sheath for that," John said, eyeing her as she followed them. 

"Am I going to have to run miles through the woods to get where we're going?" She asked, a little worried at the prospect. 

"No, it's not far from here. Don't worry. Just remember what I showed you." Arthur told her as they walked into the woods surrounding camp. 

The woods opened up into a field, grass high with a few wild flowers dotting the clearing with splashes of color. Adeline thought it was surprisingly picturesque for what she was about to do. She wondered if Arthur had chosen it, it seemed to suit his tastes best. Around her in the meadow, wolves were shifting, dropping clothes and play fighting. A few tussled, light and without any anger or heat. The excitement running through the pack was tangible even to her. 

She could see what John had meant when he said Omegas didn’t get as big as Betas or Alphas. Miss Grimshaw shifted into a grey wolf, barely as big as she was human. Roughly the size of a normal wolf, she was dwarfed by Dutch and Hosea. When the yellow wolf that was Micah got close to her she snapped at him suddenly, sending the much larger wolf scrambling out of her way in fear. It made Adeline giggle a little. John had slipped into wolf the second they had hit the clearing but Arthur was staying human, for her she knew. His hand on her hip, squeezing reassuringly. 

"Do you want me to help you undress?" He asked gently. A reminder. Shaking her head, she handed him the knife to hold. 

"No." Her voice was curt and her hands shook a little as she undid the buttons of her dress. It was so easy for them to shed their human accouterments, it seemed as though their form became ephemeral as they changed. Anything solid on their person dropped to the ground in a heap. Meanwhile, Adeline had several layers to unbutton and with each successive layer, her heart pounded louder in her ears. Finally down to her chemise, her hands stilled at the ribbon that held the collar closed. This was it, her last chance to back out and run screaming from the insanity around her. Her eyes trailed over the pack that was now watching her closely. Waiting for her to make her decision. Arthur shifted, naked himself now as if that would encourage her. His blue eyes were tinged around the edge with gold, the pull of the moon getting to him just a little. Making her decision, she pulled hard at the ribbon and fussed with the chemise until she pulled it over her head and threw it to the ground. The wind was cold now that she had no covering. Arthur smiled, stepping close to hand her back her knife and reaching up to pull her hair down from its functional bun. His fingers grazed across her scalp in a pleasant manner, combing through her hair and helping it to fall down her back. 

"You're going to do fine." He whispered low before shifting. With a loud bark to John, the two took off into the woods. They'd bring her back a deer to kill now. The pack bled out of the clearing into the trees as Adeline stood there, bare and alone. 

The low light of dusk spread across the field, casting long shadows in the trees. The eyes of the pack glowed from the tree line, watching her. She clutched her knife tight in her hand, worried it would slip as her palm sweated. The few teeth left in it bit in her skin, sharp. Her breath was heavy in anticipation and her skin was covered in goosebumps from the chill of nearly winter in the air. A howl ripped through the silence of the night, they had a deer on the run. She didn't need to understand a howl to know that much. Through the underbrush, a bleating carried, high pitched, on the wind and the stumbling crash drew her eyes as a deer burst into the clearing. Steps behind it, John and Arthur nipped at its heels, driving it to her. A doe, goodness it was bigger than she thought it would be. Her heart was pounding, it would be easy for her to mess this up. She wasn't sure how many chances she'd get. The poor creature was already limping, whites of its eyes showing and breathing harder than her. Wouldn't do to let this carry on much longer. Arthur snapped at its flank turning it to her. Adjusting her grip on the knife, she waited until it was close enough to touch. 

Throwing one arm around its neck, she used her body to knock it to the ground. They both tumbled to the ground. A hoof kicked across her thigh a couple of times before she managed to ram the knife into the chest, right where Arthur had shown her. The doe jerked and fell limp to the ground. Hard part done, right? She took a minute to catch her breath before dropping to her knees beside the doe and pulling the knife out to open the carcass. John rubbed against her back, licking her face while whining.

 _You did good!_

"Shush, I have to concentrate." She gave his scruff an affectionate shake before shoving him away. It didn't have to be perfect, Arthur had told her, she just had to get it done. They didn't need her to carve it up for them tonight. Using both hands she dragged her knife through the chest, it took hard effort to open it up. Once she had opened a messy slice along the stomach, Arthur grabbed a mouthful and ripped, bracing his clawed hands against the carcass's back for leverage. Opening it up more for her, giving as much help as he could. It was messy, and bloody and she wasn't entirely sure where the heart was inside all the gore. 

"Already this far in." Adeline told herself with a deep breath to steady herself. She shoved her hand in past the ribs. It was slick and warm inside. Hard to feel anything exactly. Up to her elbow in the creature she felt something smooth and hard brush against her fingers. Slipping her hand around it, it felt like the right shape and size. She shoved the knife into the chest with her other arm, gripping it tight enough to hurt her hand more for fear of dropping it inside the deer. Cutting blindly where the heart would get hung up she finally pulled it out, blood up to her elbows and dripping down her leg. Arthur gave a loud bark. Climbing to her feet, she held the heart up so the pack could see then held it in front of her face. 

"Okay, _this_ is the hard part." She realized. "No vomiting." A reminder she already knew was going to be a struggle. The heart was still warm. It was thick and rubbery to bite into and tasted of copper and game. Around her a howl went up, the pack descending upon the carcass. Ripping and tearing, they pushed past her to feast. Her empty stomach rebelled as she swallowed the bite but she fought it down and stumbled away from the feeding frenzy. 

Her legs shook a bit and she sat down hard, letting the heart drop to the ground beside her. Looking up at the dusky sky, she felt her adrenaline fading away, leaving her shaky and unsteady. Her leg was starting to hurt. Looking down, she saw two clean slices across the top of her thigh. They weren't deep, at least. She went to wiped at the blood absentmindedly only to streak more across her leg. A laugh rang out above the sound of wolves tussling for food. It took her a minute to realize it was her. Warm bodies pressed against her back. John rested his head in her lap, licking at the cut. Arthur rested his head on the ground next to her. 

"Did I do good?" She asked, glancing down at Arthur. 

_Proud of you._ He leaned his head to the side, looking up at her with gold eyes. Dutch, coal black fur, shaggy and huge, loomed over her. Her eyes dragged up to him. Hosea walked up, heavy grey around his muzzle and along his back, eyes a bright gold. 

There was a sudden rush of bodies against her as everyone was trying to lick her face and rub against her in celebration. They called out to each other and Adeline had no way of keeping track of who was who. Only the crush of fur and tongues against her bloody skin. She kept a hand gripped tight in John's scruff, grounding herself as best she could. Arthur shoved his way against her chest, putting himself between her and the other wolves. Giving a few snaps at a couple of pushy wolves, most backed up and let her breathe. Taking a big gulp of breath she fell back against John's body, using it as a pillow. Still standing over her, Arthur licked her face enough to make her laugh and shove his face away. 

_Not finished._ Arthur told her, nudging under her arm. Adeline sighed, nodding before pushing herself to stand slowly. The pack ringed around her, watching. John and Arthur slunk into the throng of wolves watching her, leaving her standing alone. Despite having dropped her clothes to the ground nearly a half hour ago, she felt exposed only now. One wolf stepped forward, raven black with blue eyes. Abigail slipped to human, smiling at Adeline as she reached out for her. 

"You did real good." She whispered in her ear as Adeline shivered at her touch. Her hand was warm as she slid it up her trembling arm. Trailing soft kisses along her neck, Abigail pushed her down to the grass, straddling her as the sank together. "I'm glad you chose me." Her voice was quiet in her ear as she smoothed a hand over Adeline's stomach. The muscles tensed under her touch, curling involuntarily.

"So am I," She admitted, her voice shaking a bit as she let her hands wander up Abigail's body, exploring. Her skin was pale and so soft compared to the men's. "I've never..." She swallowed around the lump in her throat. "not with a woman." Her cheeks warmed with a blush. 

"Well, aren't you brave." Abigail purred. Smiling against her neck, her hand slipped to the curled hair between her legs. Adeline gave a soft gasp as deft fingers grazed her sensitive nub. Abigail shushed her, coaxing a moan out of her. "Don't worry, I'll show you." Shifting herself between Adeline's spread legs, she pushed her thighs further apart. For a moment, Adeline wanted to ask something but exactly what was lost to her when Abigail gave a languid swipe of her tongue. Instead her head was thrown back against the ground as a deep moan left her. Her hands flailed to hold onto something, one digging into Abigail's hair while the other dug into the grass beneath her. Her breath stalled as her stomach tightened, growing wet under Abigail's attention. Pulling back, the other woman kept her thumb swirling mercilessly against her clit. 

"Think you can do that?" Abigail asked. Adeline shook her head, out of breath already. 

"No." She said in worry. Abigail laughed, moving to straddle her face. 

"It's not that hard, I promise. Just try." She said, her hands slipping down to Adeline's legs, fingers grazing dangerously close to her wanting slit. Adeline looked up, took a breath and ran her tongue along the folds above her. It was salty but not unpleasant. Trying again and getting a physical reaction out of Abigail, the other woman shivering a bit, she pressed her face up to get closer. As she began a few experimental attempts, Abigail slipped fingers inside her and began working her loose and wet. It was hard to stay focused and she would go in fits and starts but anytime she stopped, Abigail would stop and raw lust and desire drove her to continue. 

Her moans were muffled into the quim on her mouth, her arms wrapping around Abigail's thighs to hold on. Arousal leaked down her chin, Abigail grinding down against her tongue as she worked her. Her own hips bucked under Abigail, wanting more as the experienced woman teased her in excess. Suddenly Abigail stilled her actions, grinding down hard against Adeline's mouth. 

"Don't stop," The woman moaned, her hands holding tight to Adeline's thighs, nails digging in. She shuddered above her, crying out with a loud moan. Adeline could feel the fluttering quiver and a warm gush on her face before Abigail pulled off of her. The older woman lay gasping beside her for a moment and she was left cold, bare and wanting. She whined in need.

"Oi," Sean's hand took up hers, catching her fingers as he moved to straddle her and Abigail shifted away. "I got what you want." He smirked, stroking himself slowly. She turned to look up at him as he settled between her legs, her eyes dropping to his member. He was smaller than Arthur, which was some relief though she suspected most men were. "Like what you see, girly?" His voice was always a half step away from laughter. Adeline smiled.

"Surprised to see the bottom matches the top." She said, reaching up to finger a few strands of his hair. He laughed, adjusting his stance a bit to enter her. 

"Have to say, that's the first time I've heard that." Well prepared by Abigail, Sean slid in with ease. She let out a low sigh, enjoying the stretch around him as he bottomed out in her. He groaned heavy, leaning down to catch up her mouth with his and she folded around him. Trailing her hands up his back, he began slowly thrusting. Canting his hips just right, he easily found a spot inside her that made her eyes flutter shut and her back arch into him.

"Oh," It came out a thick moan. "You're so wet, you feel so good girl." He rubbed his nose against her neck, breathing her in. "So glad you chose me, you feel like heaven." He whispered. She wanted to laugh at his running commentary, just as Abigail had said he would keep up, but knew he'd misinterpret her so instead she quieted him with kisses. Her hands framed his face as their tongues met. One hand dug into her thigh, pulling it over his hip as he found a deeper spot inside her, making her cry out and and claw at his back. Her hips matched his rhythm, urging him faster. His thrusts grew harder, his hands moving to the grass beside her head. His head flew back as he lost himself, a low cry escaping him as he slowly stilled against her. 

The tension left his body and he leaned in close to rest his head against her shoulder as he caught his breath. When her hand slipped through his hair, he shuddered against her, kissing softly at her neck. He pulled free of her, huffing as he leaned back to look at her with a lazy, satisfied grin. 

"You're a treat, girly." She felt empty when he left her, though she was sure she was messy with his spend now. Abigail's assertion that wolves couldn't get humans pregnant was suddenly a great comfort.

"Ay, get lost." Javier called out, pulling Sean to his feet and shoving him away. He grinned at her, reaching down to pull her to sit. Laying down beside her, he held her hand as she climbed to straddle him. His smile was soft, pleased with himself as his hands slid up her thighs to grasp her waist. His touch was gentle. Adeline let her eyes drift over his body, taking him in. He was lean but no less well formed, pleasing to the eye and taking care with how he held her. Already at half mast, she felt him press against her ass hot as a brand. Sliding up from her waist, he pulled her closer to him by the shoulders. Waiting a moment as she rested against him, he moved her hair out of her face, pushing it back around her neck. Her eyes caught a faint scar around his neck and her brows furrowed in concern, never having noticed it before. She realized he always had something covering it up when he was dressed. Without thinking, her hand started to stray to his neck. But he caught it in his, bring it to his lips to kiss. 

“Another time, _bonita_. Not a story for tonight.” He redirected her hand, pressing it against his bare chest. “Tonight’s more about you.” His grin shifted into a smirk as clever hands slide to her folds, still slick with Sean’s spend. Her eyes fluttered closed as she tried to focus on the sensation at her core and not the audience around her. He made it easy to forget if she closed her eyes, wringing a moan from her quicker than she thought possible. It built up quickly, making her center throb and ache to be filled. Reach behind her, she raised up on her knees and lined him up. Javier’s hands dug into her hips as she slid down onto him. He wasn’t as big as Arthur, maybe no one was. But he was solid and hot as fire on her skin and knew how to move his hips just right to make her sob. When her arms began to shake, he pulled her down, cooing soft words in her ear. 

“Shhh, I’ll take care of you, _pajarito_. Relax.” His breath was hot on her throat as he adjusted his legs to give himself more leverage and began pumping up into her. Each deep thrust forced a cry out of her until she was going hoarse and had to bury her face in his neck. He gave a light kiss to her temple as she clung to him, her mind going fuzzy with arousal. Above her the sky was dimming quickly, light flooding the field as the full moon rose. 

Needing to take some control over her situation, Adeline sat back up as far as she dared. It pushed him deeper inside her until she had to gasp for air and take a minute. Beneath her, Javier’s hands encouraged her, rubbing up and down her thighs as he waited for her, let her set the pace. After a moment to adjust, she began rocking on him, pressing back down on him as she moved. Her hands curled against his chest again, focused as she was on how she spread around him with each languid thrust. 

“Ay, _tesoro_ , I can’t go slow tonight.” He warned, his hips shoving up into her hard, making her moan. Adeline dared to look at him, open her eyes and glance around the clearing. He was struggling beneath her, controlling his breathing and arching his back. Around them, the wolves watched hungrily. Only Arthur, Hosea and Charles remained human, watching her. All eyes were on her. 

“Do what you need to do.” She gasped out. Without a second word, Javier rolled her underneath him. Pulling free of her, leaving her feeling empty once again, his hands on her hips flipped her over until he could cover her back with his chest. Burying himself to the hilt in one swift thrust, he began pounding into her. He pulled her hair away from her neck as she responded to him, pushing back against his hips. Leaning forward, he kissed along her neck, nipping occasionally. His hands slipped around her, holding her in place while trying to stir her arousal. Fingers, calloused but quick, swirled around her clit, swollen and tender, making her cry out. He played with her, pushing her close to the edge before pausing, pulling away just so. Her arms shook and her shoulders collapsed to the ground, letting him press even deeper into her. Finally having mercy on her, he flicked across her swollen nub, pushing her over the edge as white light exploded in her eyes. She could hear her cries echo around the clearing as she climaxed hard, fluttering around Javier's cock and pulling him along with her. He cursed in Spanish, pressing hard against her as deep as he could get and emptying himself inside her. 

When they stilled together, he wrapped an arm around her waist and helped her fall to the ground on her side. His hips gave a few half hearted bucks before he slipped out of her. She could feel herself grow wet between the thighs as spend leaked out of her. The idea of it made her breath catch in arousal, just a little. More than she wanted to admit to herself. Javier pressed against her back, kissing at her neck, speaking Spanish against her skin. 

" _Hermosa._ " She didn't know what he was saying but it sounded sweet, his tone making her smile. With a last kiss on her cheek he slipped his arms free of her. "Thank you, _cariño_ " He whispered before stepping away. Adeline was left on the grass, huffing for air. It was dark now, the moon starting to rise but not yet above the treeline. The tendrils of exhaustion were starting to set in and there was still one more person left. Feet walked across the grass, stopping beside her, waiting until she looked up. 

Charles towered over her and she wasn’t sure it wasn’t intentional. He was broad, muscled well with the faintest hint of softness that came from having a full belly most nights. Reaching up to him, his hand engulfed hers as she pulled him down on top of her. He guided her hand to his shoulder as he moved to lay against her. Her arms couldn’t reach around his shoulders and it made her laugh a bit. The smallest smile played across his face for a second. When her hands drifted into his long hair, soft and thick, the smile melted into lust. He moved slow, though she knew he was already ready to take her. The proof was pressed against her stomach. One hand cradled her head, holding her still as he leaned in to take a kiss. Her body responded to him, lips parting to invite him in. Tired though, and a bit drained, she was glad he moved slow. As an Alpha, there was no press for time now. He could go at the pace she needed. A heavy hand slid across her skin, a sheen of sweat from exertion drying on her. Resting to cup her breast, he pressed his face against her neck and scented her. A warm tongue licked across one of the scars on her shoulder as fingers caught up her nipple. Pulling and twisting before releasing to palm it hard made her back arch against him, made her gasp for air and scramble for a hand hold. His own hand caught hers, lacing their fingers together before holding it down beside her head. He kissed up her neck, dragging his tongue along and making her writhe just a bit in pleasure. How he managed to find so many of her sensitive spots was a wonder she couldn't bother to fathom just yet. She wanted to respond more to him, but she was still rolling from her last climax and was left giving low moans. 

"It's okay," He shushed her as she tried to weakly dig her fingers into his bicep. "I've got you." A massive hand slipped around her thigh and hitched her leg up over his hip. His other hand let go of her hand, cradling her head as he pushed himself inside her wet opening. Different than the others, he went slow, spreading her bit by bit as he entered. Her back arched again as his girth pushed her to her limit. So someone bigger than Arthur existed. She hadn't thought that was possible. Her ragged gasp was swallowed by his mouth as he quieted her with a kiss. "I know," His thick voice whispered in her ear. "I know, we'll go slow." As he finally bottomed out inside her, she curled against him, her other leg raising to wrap around his waist. The sensation of being so filled and sated was entrancing. Her eyes rolled back as he began pumping into her, still going almost agonizingly slow. Her hands worked to tangle themselves in his thick hair. It spilled over his shoulder as she messed with it, framing his face and cutting off her vision past him. 

"Don't go slow." She begged, needing more in her core. It surprised her but her voice was desperate for him. The others had been lovely but something in her flared, just a little, and she needed the roughness. Charles' eyes flashed gold in response to her and he moved his arm so her head was nestled in the crook of his elbow and his meaty hand was planted on her shoulder. Using his hold for leverage, he began thrusting into her with abandon. She could feel her brain turning off as he rammed into her again and she relished it. Her moans became cries when he pulled her hips up and found a different position with one hand digging into her hip hard enough to bruise. Her eyes shut tight, she turned her face into his arm. One hand stayed wrapped in his hair, the other slipping around his shoulder to hold on for dear life as he pumped. Their bodies rocked together and she could find no leverage herself, feeling so full with every thrust it seemed impossible. 

Charles gave a heavy yell, coming hard as he continued to thrust, seemingly unable to stop himself. He closed his teeth around her neck, not biting down but holding tightly like Arthur did occasionally. Through her haze of arousal, she marveled at how similar they were. He pulled nearly out of her, only continue short, half thrusts as Charles seemed to come back to himself and turned attention to her. Reaching past their pressed bellies, he found her over worked nub and was soon ripping another climax out of her. He was giving her a toothy grin as he watched her come undone. With his small hip movements following her peak, he pushed it for longer than she thought it could and it felt as if she could float away then and there. The only thing holding her on the earth was his heavy bulk on her chest. Finally letting her go still, he licked at the sweat on her temple. 

"Still alive, human?" His voice was low and his arms were still cradling her against him in a surprisingly caring manner. Adeline took a deep breath and nodded her head, unable to talk just yet. She felt herself start shivering against him.

"Just about," She eventually managed to gasp out. Her head was limp against his arm, every limb felt like it was made of lead and she'd never move again. Her thoughts weren't working no matter how hard she tried to make them and she quickly gave up trying to force it. Instead she enjoyed being curled against the warmth of the Alpha above her. 

Bare feet stepped beside her head. There weren't many options for who it could be but she still couldn't think of a name yet. Charles swept his hair back over his shoulder before pulling out of Adeline and resting back on his knees. The absence of his warmth made her curl in on herself. 

"I'd say that is just about enough." Hosea's voice met her ears, he sounded pleased. She liked that. "Arthur." He called out and arms slipped under her, pulling her up against a bare chest. Letting her head press against the shoulder, she took in a deep scent she didn't recognize. Maybe she should care but instead she relaxed, too exhausted to do much of anything. "I have to tell you, I'm impressed." Hosea said softly, into her ear as he carried her away from the pack. She only murmured in response, not really able to talk yet. Turning her face against his chest, she kept her face hidden. 

"Lamb, you okay?" Arthur's voice cut through the fog in her brain and she nodded without removing her face. A hand pulled her hair from her face, stroking her cheek. Arthur's hand, she realized. 

"Tired." She said, wanting to tell him she was fine but there wasn't hardly enough energy left in her to stay awake. 

"Of course you are, after that performance? We'll get you cleaned up and tucked in." Hosea reassured her. "You did good, my dear girl." The temperature dropped around them and the sound of the gentle lap of the lake pulled her to try and look around. Her vision was spotty at best, and her eyes were an achy sort of tired. "Think you can sit up?" Hosea asked. 

"No." She snorted. She still felt empty between her legs, and every part of her was sticky.

"I got her, Hosea." Arthur said and she was passed off into familiar arms. Oh, that was what she was wanting. Hadn't even realized she was missing it. She curled against him, her hand rising to his shoulder and her face pressing into his neck, inhaling deep. 

"You acting like you missed me!" He chuckled and she wanted to burrow into the feeling of the rumble in his chest. Giving a low hum of agreement, she nodded her head. "Lamb, the moon's barely up, whole thing didn't take more than an hour or two. I was right beside you the whole time." His hand rubbed up and down her back. 

"She seemed a bit distracted, son." Hosea said. Blinking through her bleary eyes she could see him crouching beside the lake, his back to them. He stood up, moonlight throwing him into silhouette. He was thinner than Arthur and Charles but tall, seemingly mostly legs. She wondered at the differences between the three Alphas. He turned, walking back to where Arthur sat, holding Adeline in his lap. "I don't think anyone suspected you'd really do it, girl." He held a wet wash rag in his hand. She gasped and tried to move away from the ice water of the lake he'd soaked it in. 

"Shit!" The curse word was startled out of her as he began wiping down her face. Arthur laughed, closing his hands around her. 

"Hold still, it just takes a minute and then I'll bundle you up, alright?" His chuckle made her scowl but she held still, shivering against the freezing cold. 

"The alternative is I lick you clean," Hosea warned her as he slipped the washrag across her back. She had to admit, despite the icy temperature, it felt nice to be wiped clean. 

"How kind a concession." She said between chattering teeth. His strong fingers peeled her off Arthur so he could wipe down the other side. "Couldn't bend the rules elsewhere?" There was no venom in her tone and she smirked up at him. Hosea took a breath, looking down at her boneless form pooled in Arthur's lap. 

"Not right now, no." He pressed his lips together in a thin line before returning to his work, gradually wiping lower down her torso. "Too much trouble right now. Need strong pack bonds, and this is the quickest way. The traditional way. Sometimes we need the traditions." He moved to wipe between her thighs and she hissed and shifted away from him, tender and hyper sensitive. Stopping for a moment, he looked her over. His hand brushed some hair from her face and he moved to pick a bit of grass out of it. Crouching beside them, he wiped along the outside of her thigh first. "I think you'll be a real asset to our pack, Adeline. I've heard dissension from a few mouths."

"Micah." She supplied, a snarl on her lips at his name. Hosea nodded as he gently pulled her thighs apart to wipe down the inside, keeping his touch as light as possible. 

"Mostly, yeah. Not a surprise there. Do you know why I'm doing this?" His eyes raised to meet hers for a minute and she shook her head. 

"I don't understand why you do most things, I'm just willing to go along with it." She admitted. Hosea laughed, returning his attention to wiping down her legs. 

"Suppose that's more our faults for not explaining. This though, this is to get all old scents off you. Tomorrow you wake up clean, with only the pack scent on you." Arthur helped position her so Hosea could wipe off her dirty feet. The rag was quickly becoming useless and he had to return to the lake's edge to wash it out once more. 

"So, it's like a baptism." She thought idly. The gravel crunched under Hosea's bare feet as he walked back to them. 

"A bit, I suppose, if you must find a human equivalent." He pulled up her arms, wiping the blood that was still dried to them. As he paid attention to her fingers, wiping them clean one by one, he sighed. "You're pack now, Adeline. I know you don't fully understand that yet, but you will. You're ours. And I'm glad of it." He seemed satisfied finally, running his hand through her hair a bit more, picking out more bits of grass that had gotten tangled in it. "You'll feel a new wolf in the morning." Patting Arthur's shoulder he stepped back from the two, slipping into wolf. With a sharp bark he ran off to join the rest of the pack, leaving Arthur to carry Adeline back to their tent. 

"Lamb, you want me to stay with you?" He asked as he walked across the camp. She still shivered in his arms. 

"You want to go running, right?" Raising her head, she caught his gold eyes for a minute. His blood was up and she was ready to pass out. It'd be cruel to make him sit down when he needed to run. 

"That doesn't matter right now." He argued. Making the decision for her, he set her down on their cot and crawled in beside her. She cleaved to his bare chest, relishing the warmth and scent. He tucked a blanket around her and her shivers soon stopped as she warmed herself against him. His hand slowly stroked through her hair, reassuring and close. It felt like seconds before she drifted off, a little bit sore but mostly happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think will happen in the next thrilling sequel?


End file.
